White Flag
by scranity
Summary: An island in the middle of the ocean stops getting shipments of supplies, and the leaders of the city quickly begin rationing food. But when weeks pass by with nothing else coming, the leaders of the city begin to take more drastic measures for survival. When the first monster is spotted, they realize that things are even worse than they first seemed. Written for NaNoWriMo.
1. Prologue - Hero's Departure

Prologue – Hero's Departure

WEEK 0

Everyone down in the enclosed docking area were in high spirits despite the sharp stench of fresh fish and salty sea being almost overwhelming. The loud chatter of fishermen filled the air as they brought carts of fish, crabs, and other sealife down from their ships to the dock below was only overcome by the shouts of young children welcoming their parents home from their hard day of work and the cheers of sailors as they finally were able to take a break and head to the tavern for a well deserved drink.

However, this constant buzz was ignored by two people who were standing in front of a very large sea-vessel, a large pack at one of their sides.

"And don't forget to change your underwear every day, okay sweetie?" An aging woman said, ruffling the bright blond hair of a handsome young man, ignoring the faux-annoyed look on his face.

The two made a curious pair, being a small aging woman barely four and a half feet tall accompanied by a young man who was well over six feet tall himself, yet with the man almost seeming to shrink in on himself in embarrassment as the woman straightened his collar and wiped a bit off dust off of his face. If there was any family resemblance it was impossible to see through the old woman's sun weathered face. The only trait that the two shared was their eyes, both seeming to shine with determination. A strong gust of wind coming from the tunnel as the large gate at the end of the port-cavern opened and let in a large rush of water and air, forcing the boy to stabilize the far more frail woman who had held onto him.

"Oh, come on Auntie. You don't need to baby me anymore," he replied once the large doors had slammed shut and the loud wind had passed.

"You'll always be a baby to me. I know the young women around here may see a dashing rogue, but I can't help but see you as the little boy who came crying to me after wetting his bed during a sleepover with the Baker's son."

Looking quite distressed, he glanced around checking if anyone had overheard her "Auntie! Please don't do this in public!" The appearance of a tall and well muscled man squirming around like an embarrassed child would probably have attracted more attention if nearly all of the pair's public interactions hadn't also ended in a similar manner.

"Worried about the sailors poking fun at you during your trip? If they do, then point me to them and I'll give them a good whack on the skull."

"It'll be hard to do that if you're n-" the boy began to respond, but was suddenly cut off by the sound of a bell being loudly rung at a small tower sitting beside the large ship behind them.

As the sound stopped echoing throughout the large room, the pair simply stared at each other in silence for a few seconds.

"I'm going to miss you Auntie."

"I'm going to miss you too. But you're a Hero now. I'm not going to ask you to forget about us here, but I don't want your thoughts of home to hold you back either. You're going to be out there in the big wide world, and you're going to risk your life every day while I stay here and scrape barnacles off the ships and keep the water basins clean..."

The young man slowly dropped to one knee, though was still taller than the small woman he was talking to, and though as he gently embraced her with his wide frame covering almost her entire body it was almost like he was the small one.

"I'm going to the mainland, but one day I'll be back. And when I do, the world will be one Demon Lord fewer. S-So don't cry, okay?" Separating, her took a step back, and both gave each other small smiles and soft chuckles at the tears running down both of their faces.

"You brat. Don't go lecturing me when you're the one who's sobbing like a baby. Though my husband may not be around anymore, I can take care of myself even if I might be getting on in years." Her eyes flickered over to something off to the side, and she quickly drew one of her long sleeves across her face to wipe her tear-stained cheeks clean. "Now wipe off your face and keep your chin up. The ship captain is coming, and you know what I say about first impressions."

A set of almost stomping footsteps finally became audible over the constant low-level chatter that filled the large cavern the pair stood in, merchants, guards, travelers, and regular civilians all talking with each other happily. There had been a large supply of sugar and sweets arriving in port just yesterday, and the area was filled with parents aiming to get their children tasty treats and adults with sweet-tooths themselves who were eager to get the first pick at the rapidly dwindling luxury. The heavily muscled man who was approaching had clearly already gotten his pick of the bunch, the handle of a lollipop sticking out of his mouth, and the presence of the candy completely ruined the stern face he seemed to be trying to put on.

"So, this is the young Hero, hm? Well, I do hope you're proud of yourself then, cause you're the first Hero to come out of this town since its founding. You better put on a good enough show to grab everyone's attention and bring some new blood to this place. I wouldn't want my favorite little islet fortress to go forgotten, now would I?" The man's stern expression broke slightly with a small smirk growing on his lips. However, he closed his eyes and a second later it was schooled back into an intimidating mask. If one ignored the still present lollipop, stick occasionally shifting from one side of his mouth to the other.

"Still though, we gotta get outta here before high-tide hits in an hour and the gates can't open anymore. We've just finished loading the last of the fish, so I'm thinking we head out now while the men are still pumped up from the exercise. It's nearly a week to the mainland anyway, and every second counts when you're crossing these waters. I am expecting that you help out though. Just cause you're a Hero now doesn't mean that you can't just ignore your duties as a man of the sea."

The young man and the old woman turned to each other one more time, though neither moved a muscle nor spoke and instead simply took the images of each other in before the boy had to break away, with the last calls to board being shouted out over the din of the crowd. Following the Captain who was already barking orders to his crew to start sending the ship off, the teenager picked up his large rucksack and threw it onto his back before nodding to her with a smile and turning and striding towards the ship that would take him away from the town he had grown up in. He walked up the gangplank while carrying his heavy pack with ease, even helping to carry another passenger's load when they had almost dropped it, and walked onto the large boat.

The bell rang once more, and the gates slowly swung inwards, the doors struggling to move forwards against the force of the water on the other side pushing back as some surged through the opening. Soon though, the inner doors had opened all the way, though being recently opened the water level inside the harbour rose didn't visibly rise at all, the salty water glistening underneath the summer sun high in the sky that was shining through the many holes in the roof, each covered by strange looking glass domes that cast the light so that the entire hidden harbour was lit up.

"GOODBYE AUNTIE!" The young man shouted, his voice echoing inside the large stone entrance as he leaned over the side of the ship waving to her in farewell, and a large smile broke out on the woman's face.

"GOODBYE SWEETIE!"

However, their voices weren't the only ones to start being yelled out over the din of the crowd. The rest of the people watching the ship's departure started to shout as well.

"MAKE US PROUD BRAT!

"SHOW THE DEMON LORD WHO'S BOSS!"

"WE BELIEVE IN YOU!"

As the large doors started to swing shut behind the boat, the outer doors ready to release the ship into the open waters once the inner had sealed the passage, the boy thought about what may happen next. Adventure, danger, monsters, and a chance to prove that humanity deserved to live in this harsh world of theirs despite the Demon Lord's ambitions to prove him wrong. And he wouldn't do it alone. His Auntie, the tavern owner who would sneak him treats when he was a young boy, the kind Sister who worked at the temple, and even the grumpy old hag who always shouted at him when he made too much noise during his training near the barracks. His whole hometown was cheering him on and it was a memory that he knew he'd treasure for the rest of his life.

 _Too bad for the little Hero, despite reaching the mainland safely he would never see any of them again. How deliciously tragic._


	2. Chapter 1 - Grains of Sand

Chapter 1 – Grains of Sand

 _It wasn't love at first sight you know. Well, that might be because we hadn't even reached ten years of age by then. All he was was my big brother's best friend. He was just another person to me. I actually hated him a little bit, since he was taking up some of my brother's attention. We played less together, and the two ran around getting into trouble while I was left behind at home. It's crazy how things change._

WEEK 3

The transportation of goods to and from the island fortress was the most important thing that all who resided within had to concern themselves about. The almost perfectly round island, its shape marred only by the jagged stones that stuck out around the base of the high walls, was nearly five hundred kilometers from either of the mainlands but despite its isolated location it was often visited by ships that used it as a pit-stop.

But despite its use by ships to replenish their own stocks of food, the island itself was heavily reliant on shipments of goods itself. Having not enough room to have any sort of large scale industry meant that all the consumer goods required to be shipped in, and with the entire island being made of magically shaped volcanic rock there wasn't even any dirt available to grow crops or provide food for livestock.

However one thing the citizens did have, and was the reason that anybody visited the place at all, was a large grouping of special glass domes that induced faster than normal evaporation of seawater which then gathered the condensation into drinkable water and usable salt. Through this effective way of gathering fresh water and one of the world's best natural preservatives, it was one of the most often visited locations for those making the long trips between the two continents on either side of it. While alternative methods of getting around were possible they were almost certainly longer, and would take far different routes that could bring them closer to monster infested areas than they would like.

However, with the rise in monster attacks while traveling the seas, as well as the violent weather that always seemed to appear at the most inappropriate times, the number of ships that it would receive every year had dropped to pitiful amounts. Ever so slowly the city was dying, though a single look at the inhabitants would make you second guess yourself with the pride that they held themselves with, knowing that they could survive despite being surrounded by such a harsh environment.

But no amount of pride could overcome the physical needs for sustenance a human has, which was why the mayor of the town was dreading the report he was being given.

"Mayor, the messaging system came online this morning. It's another apology. They've apparently lost contact with the supply ship they had sent over. And the escort ship they sent along with it." said a young scholarly looking man, clad in loose robes befitting a scribe and a small pair of glasses resting on his nose that further enhanced his studious appearance.

The aging and retired swordsman he had spoken to, now the mayor of the island city he had been born in just as his predecessors had, stayed silent, instead continuing to stare quietly out of the large window behind his desk that let him look over the entire sea-bound fortress, the light of the midday sun reflecting the light off of the man's balding head. His eyes slowly scanned the Northern and Western sides of the city below him. If he had turned around to face the other window he could have seen the other two sides, but staring down at the relatively inactive Eastern section and the abandoned Southern District always made his mood worse.

It was the tallest building in the city by far, but its size was by no means a show of power like some nobles were wont to do. This was purely practical, and was one of the few remaining buildings still standing from when it was created over a thousand years ago by the thirty seventh demon lord, apparently working as an emergency staging area for the aquatic monstrosities land-based artillery forces.

Now the tower acted solely as a beacon for ships, as once it had been conquered by the humans the entire fortress had instead been converted into a dedicated fishing area and was a minor rest point for those sailing across the sea, though ever since the arrival of the new Demon Lord it had begun to receive far fewer visitors than before with sea travel becoming exponentially harder. And it was here that the crux of the problem lay.

"My boy. This is the third week. We already have complaints from nearly every merchant in the city. This kind of delay is... unprecedented as far as I can tell without a huge storm coming in. We've had gaps where a single ship hasn't arrived for a week when the market seemed to be lagging, but we still got one midway through the second. Have the mages discovered any unseen storms or some such? I know it's wishful thinking at this point that the delay is natural but..."

"I'm sorry sir, but we haven't found a single storm. There's some readings coming from the east, but as far as we can tell it could be weeks until something big actually starts up. Actually, the seas have been remarkably calm. I'd be expecting more ships than usual with how kind the weather is being to the sailors in fact." The boy gave a troubled look to the town leader. Despite only hitting the age of twenty quite recently he was already extremely well versed in weather patterns and how they affected nautical transport. And all of his instincts were telling him that there was something strange going on. Both knew that this was a pattern that would have to stop as soon as possible. They had the emergency stores to survive for a while if worst came to worst, but they weren't infinite.

Some might call their urgency simple paranoia, but in the Mayor's case paranoia had saved his and his allies' skins more than once in the field, and there were far more than two other people he had to watch out for this time.

The man pulled his long pipe out his mouth and slowly let out a small stream of smoke that drifted up to the roof before seeping into a special magically powered air-vent that led outside to dissipate into the wind, made just for that purpose by the previous mayor and one he found quite useful when talking to those who couldn't handle rooms full of tobacco.

"...Take down a message," and without even pausing or looking up he knew that by now his assistant had pulled out a paper and pencil from god knows where and already had his hand above the sheet, continued "To my old friend and student Lieutenant... hold on, let me write his name down for you myself. It's a bit strange. Right, start writing again. I need to call in that favour you owed me. Our town is running low on supplies, and Caprinalica has reported that it lost contact with three supply ships in a row as well as a small military vessel that was supposed to support one of them. I know you're busy helping train the men there, but I need you and some of your navy boys to escort any more willing merchant vessels with some manned military ships instead of those things they call boats they've been using up until now that only have a few armed mercs for protection. There's something wrong, but I don't know what it is. With nothing else to go on, I can only assume it's massed monster activity. Please, hurry."

Finally finished, he waited a few seconds, listening to the scratching noise of the pen on the parchment before it too fell silent.

"You know how to sign it by now. The man lives in the port town of Ionu, and you'll need to use the fourth seal." The sound of soft shoes quickly padding away made the old man sigh in relief. That was one problem solved. But there were plenty more where that came from. The biggest was probably the schoolhouse.

It took him only five minutes to make his way to the building despite the confusing layout of the city streets. In fact, a good quarter of that time was taken up by him making his way out of the central tower, with his old bones slowing him down making the trip longer than it used to be. With his extensive training he could move far faster, yes, but he'd rather not feel aches throughout his rickety body for the next couple of days.

Taking a stroll along one of the many walkways on the city's great protective walls, he walked past the marketplace, trying to ignore the many closed down shops spread throughout the area with stores that had apparently been literally stacked on top of each other in the distant past now boarded up with a thick layer of dust that could be seen through the cracked windows. Soon he made it to a larger building where much of the food processing took place, entering and quickly passing by the the fish preparation area where large fish were being cleaned, salted, and dried for export or storage, and opened the other end to enter the sole classroom being used.

The slight decline in ships meant less extra resources, which in turn meant that fewer children were born and that the previous five teachers they had just a decade and a half ago had fallen to one after they realized they simply couldn't afford to pay them all for what little work they did.

"Hello Mister Mayor!"

At the sound of one of the children's voices, the rest of the students, about fifteen in all and being from five to ten, quickly turned their head towards his entrance and the current day's lesson came to a halt.

"Ah. Can I help you sir?" asked a young woman sitting in a small wooden chair, the large Trunk-Nosed Bander on her desk signifying that it must have been a biology lesson. He reckoned it was probably something to do with how each part of the fish could be used.

In response, the mayor simply shook his head before nodding to her to continue her lesson while walking towards the back of the classroom, walking past the few other rooms, all completely empty, before entering into the teacher's lounge, which was really just another classroom that was outfitted with a couple of sofas, a table and stools, and a small bowl off to the side that was currently bereft of the fruits it would normally contain that gave him another unfortunate reminder about why he was here.

Through one last door, a small metal plaque at eye level signifying who was behind it, he walked and quietly closed the door behind him to wait for a few seconds before the sound of pen against paper finally halted and a strong voice filled the room.

"Ah, are you taking a break already. How are you? I... Oh. Hm, you have that look on your face again. That does not bode well. In that case let's not waste time with niceties and catching up. What needs to be done?" Another older man, though this time missing all of his hair except for his beard unlike the mayor who simply had a receding hairline, said, expression going from carefree and genial to serious and a bit sorrowful, but the slightly thankful look on the Mayor would let anyone watching know that he appreciated the straightforward way the conversation had turned.

"There's something wrong with the shipments." The Mayor said as he absently drummed his fingers against the table the Headmaster was sitting at. "I've asked for a few military ships to be sent over to guard the next supply run, but my old scars have felt achy recently. I know it might just be an overreaction, but-"

"But a soldier's instincts are telling you that things are more than they seem?" the man said with a grim smile. "Yes, I've gotten the sudden urge to train my casting skills again. God, I haven't even thrown a proper fire lance in years. And for why you're here. I take it we will try and send the children back with the ships?"

"If we can. Any pregnant women too. And if morals can't convince the captain, then gold will in its stead. We have more than enough from the treasury, and it's not like there's anything to spend it on without the merchants coming around anymore."

"Hm. And the parents?"

"That's my main concern. You were always the one who was good with kids, so I was hoping you could find a way to break the news to both groups. There are three hundred and twenty people living on the island, and forty three of them are children. Depending on the number of ships that get here... even that may be too many extra mouths to feed for them to handle on the long trip back."

The room fell silent, except for the headmaster rustling through a drawer in his desk and soon after pulling out a small wooden pipe, igniting it with a deft snap of his fingers. Taking a deep puff, he let out a large plume of smoke, making the town's mayor quirk up an eyebrow as he took a large whiff of the scent.

"Hm. Golden Morian. And here I thought you stopped smoking years ago."

The Headmaster seemed to ignore his unasked question however. "...I'll tell each family in person. I'll do it in private though. Maybe make up some story to the parents about drugs that were smuggled in and that I don't want to alarm the students. Not everyone in this town is level-headed, and I'll be damned if I can't stop a small riot from breaking out if anyone other than those who need to know learn of the evacuation."

"Well, thank you for your help in this then," the Mayor said.

"Oh, shut up moron." snorted the Headmaster. "You don't thank friends for help, like you don't thank waitresses for your food. Thought I zapped that habit out of you years ago."

"I'll do what I want dork."

The two shared a small smile, before their smiles suddenly seemed to become strained and both lowered their eyes while the edges of their mouths quirked downwards into frowns. Quietly, the Mayor nodded to his old adventuring companion and left the room.

Plastering a smile onto his face, the Mayor began to make his way back to the tower. He needed to check the stockpiles, and though this was the kind of thing he'd normally assign to someone else or push onto his assistant he felt like this time required a personal look. He had already done so a month ago, but there was something telling him that this lack of shipments was going to get a lot worse, and he'd need to take inventory again to know how long his people would be able to last.


	3. Chapter 2 - Water's Edge

Chapter 2 - Water's Edge

 _I didn't really get to know him until I was about nine. He was training with a sword, the blade moving sharply through air. It was almost mesmerizing, even though I would later learn that he was actually pretty bad at it. But the determination in his eyes… I think it was that which started to draw me towards him. I still thought he was a jerk, but now he was like a jerk that could sometimes look cool._

Week 4

"Open the inner gate!"

The man's bellow was almost deafening to those close to him, but even his powerful voice was hard to hear over the loud din of the large number of people gathered around the port. The lookout had spotted the incoming ship only half an hour ago over the horizon, and everyone who was able had tried to gather inside the huge cavern that acted as the port, the large and strategically located holes in the roof letting the light pass through and reflect off the water at angles that made the place look as if it had an otherworldly glow.

There were only about fifty guards in the area, the isolated location of the fortress and constant need for working hands meaning that it was almost like none of the permanent residents ever had enough free time to commit violence even if they wanted to. The large number of merchants and children who were eagerly waiting for the coming ships, however, were a bigger concern.

Even though there weren't even twenty children in total around the docks they had already caused a bit of a commotion, their initial excitement slightly wearing off as they were forced to wait and instead shifting over to causing trouble for the merchants. Mostly it was really just the adults ending up as unwilling targets in games of catch or being used as shields for tag. Of course it was these older men and women that the guards were truly concerned about. The food stores were plentiful, but four weeks of nothing but prepared food and fish still wore out both the visiting entrepreneurs and residents alike. People were getting restless, and though a great deal of the stress had been alleviated from the news of the arrival some were still quite tense.

The time had finally come though. With bated breath, the people watched as the gates slowly opened, and a small cheer came from the crowd as the first ship came through and slowly made its way to the back of the port.

"Close the inner gates!" the dockmaster called out. Despite that it would be faster if all the ships came in at once, the huge gates that had been created by the Demon Lord who had ruled the island, and the mechanism behind how they worked alongside their defence boosting magical enchantments, meant that only a single ship could pass through at a time as only a single set of doors could remain open at once necessitating the ships take turns.

Over the edges of the ships, sailors could be seen waving happily to those on solid ground as a few others threw a set of ropes off the side of the ship, some fishermen on the ground already in position to grab them and immediately began to start tying the ship down.

The large ramp leading down from the ship's deck slowly rose into the air from its semi-concealed position and lowered to the ground, and before it had even rested properly a young woman was already racing down it before jumping into the arms of a man who caught her and spun her around as they both laughed in joy. Though this action wasn't the case for everyone, the glee they felt was clearly echoed by the others around them.

The feelings of joy only grew stronger as the Dockmaster yelled once more.

"Open the inner gates!"

The second ship came in, this time a military vessel with none of the relaxed crew members they had the last time. In fact, though there were men dressed in uniforms clearly adjusting things around the ship, to the trained eye it was almost like there were fewer people than there should be even if the soldiers appeared to be completely unconcerned. However, to the masses that were blinded by relief that sort of thing was completely overlooked.

The next ship that came in was another merchant one, and after that a military one, and the pattern repeated itself for a grand total of twenty three ships, with the last being a military ship that seemed to be far more decorated than the previous ones had. Altogether the small fleet was comprised of far more ships than the town had experienced at one time for over a decade and the populace felt a bit of awe at the sight, especially due to the large size of them seeming to loom over everyone far more than the smaller merchant vessels usually did.

The largest military ship, however, stayed silent as the crew members and dockworkers anchored it in place. After the gangplank lowered only a single man, dressed in a well pressed uniform, walked down it and began to make his way up the steps, while ignoring everyone who stared at him with curious looks and without showing a single expression on his face.

As he reached the top of the stairs, he silently began following the Mayor who, to anyone watching, seemed like he had melted out of the shadows of a nearby building, and the pair began walking towards the central tower. The entire walk proceeded in silence, until they finally entered the Mayor's office.

"Lieutenant," the Mayor said as he plopped himself down onto his chair behind his desk, gesturing for the man to sit down across from him.

"Sir," the man saluted, but soon took a seat, taking off his hat and laying it on his lap as he did so.

"First off, I'll have some men refill your water supplies. I'm guessing you need to refresh your hull's Slime Coating? Either way, we have more than enough so I'll get them to do that too. But onto why I called you here in the first place. I need more than just a supply drop. There's something else I need you to do. I've known you for many years, back when you were still a child. You know I don't ask for favours lightly."

"Yes, you were always stubborn when it came to them... Anyway, after hearing about what was happening I looked into it. The authorities are just as confused as you, but they're all assuming it's coordinated monster attacks."

At this, the Mayor's eyes widened. "Wait, coordinated? I had just assumed that there were a larger number of monsters popping up in the region. Why do they think that?"

"While the ships that had been heading straight towards this island have been sunk," he paused for a moment as if preparing himself before continuing, "there hasn't actually been any rise in attacks along the coast or from the fishing ships. For some reason the monsters are targeting the ones that are heading to the island. I'm sorry to say, but the Order has already warned all of the docks on the major shipping routes. You're not going to be getting anything that isn't heavily escorted here. And even then…" he trailed off, but the Mayor sighed only moments later as he quickly understood what the man was getting at.

"You lost a ship on the way here, didn't you." Though worded like a question, his tone of finality made it clear that it was a statement of fact, which the Lieutenant's nod only confirmed for him.

"One of the merchant vessels was taken down. We actually got everyone off of it, somehow, but in one moment the vessel was moving fine, and the next it was taking on water. We had a few mages on board who started throwing ice lances into the water when the alert was made, but we don't know if we scared it off or if it only intended to go after one of them in the first place." He took a breath before continuing, knowing he would have to give yet more bad news.

"I'm sure that we might be able to do a few more of these runs, but although it's hard to see the merchants onboard were really spooked. And while we might have had enough room among the rest of the fleet to hold a ship's worth of people if whatever snuck past our Demon Energy detectors goes after a bunch of our ships at once we simply won't be have enough stored food and water to feed the damn people." At that, the Mayor looked down for a moment, preparing himself for the possibility of rejection to his request.

"Lieutenant… I'm sure you already know what I'm about to ask of you. If the rise in monster presence continues, and we truly are being targeted... even if only indirectly so far... we won't be able to get enough food imported to feed the population. And I doubt that you're only going to lose a single ship next time, assuming you can convince your commanders to let you take enough ships to try this again. So I beg of you. Please, take as many of my people off this island as you can." The Mayor was now bending over slightly, a more full bow impossible in his sitting position, but his desperation was clear.

"Teacher… It's okay. I've already talked to some of the higher ranked Order officers, and they anticipated you'd ask that. We brought far fewer people than we normally would, and have taken out everything that wasn't necessary. The decorations up on my ship are only there for show. We're already onboard with your plan. Erm, no pun intended."

"Thank you. Thank you. But I must know. How many can you take? Your ships are large, and if you have already prepared for this, then I have no doubt you've measured how much food and water you need." As he spoke, the Mayor closed his eyes and once he finished the Lieutenant felt a slight pulse of energy come from the man.

Seeing the man's look of curiosity, he elaborated. "The Headmaster of the school here, though it has shrunk greatly over the years, he knows my magical signature well. I know I don't have the aptitude for anything more than internal enhancements, but I usually send out a short burst like I did to ask him to come when I don't want others to know. Well, the mages might catch on, but I'm not good enough with it to make anything stronger than a simple enchantment gives out so that's far from likely," he finishes with a slight twinkle of humour in his eye.

"Hm. Humble as ever I see. But about the number of people I can take, I'd say at most only about fifty more people per ship. Much of it is needed for food, and the military ones will most definitely hold fewer. I'd say we'll be able to take maybe, say eight hundred people. That'll be really pushing it, but apparently you only have six hundred so we should have more than enough. Do you think there will be any p- Sir? Are you okay?" Though he seemed confident at first, he had to stop the moment he took in the Mayor's face, completely pale as if all the blood had drained out of it.

"L-Lieutenant. Is there any chance… That you will be able to bring in another fleet?"

"Sir, how many people are on the island?"

The Mayor sighed loudly, the despair in his voice obvious to anyone listening. "We have approximately one thousand and two hundred people. If you take as many as you can, we'll still have over four hundred people left on the island. Now please. Is there any chance that there will be a second rescue fleet?"

However, the Lieutenant stayed silent.

"I s-" however, before the Mayor could speak once more he was cut off as the door to the office opened up, the Headmaster walking through while breathing slightly heavily from the long climb up the stairs.

"Right. I'm here. Whoof. You called? Wait, who are… I think I recognize you from somewhere, but I can't recall." He looked questioningly between the Lieutenant and Mayor, hoping for one of them to introduce him. However, the Mayor shook his head.

"This is the Lieutenant that is in command of the fleet, but any pleasantries will have to wait. The ships don't have enough space to take everyone they can." At that, the Professor began to splutter.

"Wait, what? What are we to do then? Is there anoth-" Before he could continue, the Mayor stopped him.

"Look Caster," his first words making the mage suddenly stand up straight and making him focus on the man's speech, "I need you to help me with something. We need to decide who gets out of here. Now, we must hurry. I expect that the evacuation must occur as quickly as possible before the knowledge of what is going to happen really hits home and we get a goddam riot."

And with that, all three men's faces turned stony, and the discussion began. Two hours later, their plan was finalized and initiated.

"Right, you're this kid's parents? Yeah, get your stuff, your whole family just got a free ticket to the mainland." Walking away from the parents who had already been warned about what would need to happen a few weeks prior, the guard walked to this next 'target' through the crowd of people who still seemed unaware of what was happening around them as small families were visited by soldiers who pointed them to which ship they would need to get on.

They had already decided who would be the highest priority. Children and pregnant women. After them were those who were sick but whom could be cured with proper treatment. Once those first three categories were cleared, things got a lot muddier. Do you save the rich before the poor? Those with lots of influence before those who could fight? The inexperienced young before the well trained old? And the biggest problem of all, help could still theoretically come in the future, if enough time passed and whatever was targeting them moved on. Getting rid of all the able bodied men and women meant that the fortress simply couldn't survive, completely consigning those left behind to their deaths, and was something that the Mayor absolutely refused to do.

A few people, if they were to attempt to survive the next coming months or even years if need be without outside support, were informed about what would happen. Thankfully, they were of the same mind, though with how close-knit the community was and their dedication to the ideals of the Order deeply ingrained in their minds the idea of giving up one's life for the greater whole wasn't a foreign concept at all. However, to the outsiders who still had families and friends to return to in the mainland, being told that they would be left behind and possibly never see them again would inevitably cause an uproar and violence.

However, though it was easy for small groups to board for now, as the number of people in the city lessened and more people were sent to the ships, suspicions were sure to rise. And because of that, they had to act quickly.

And the Captain of the Town Guard immediately bit down a curse as a rich merchant, one who was actually going to be boarding the ship anyway, finally spoke out above the crowd and catching the attention of those around him.

"Hey, why are those people being let on first? I've been sitting on this damn island for four weeks now with valuable spices. Like hell I'm letting someone take my spot!"

People's eyes and ears were immediately drawn to the man and to the ships, and though a guard had the initiative to calm the man down and guarantee him a spot, the outburst was enough to arouse the fears of those around him.

"Yeah, I have a spot there too right? I have a kid waiting back home."

"My granny can't run our bakery by herself either. She needs me there! I've wasted enough time as it is on this stupid heap of rock. What? Oh, er, sorry, no offence man."

The Captain quickly ran through his options. Too many people agreeing on a single thing always led to action. And the most obvious thing to happen would probably be people pushing their ways onto the ships by force. He had to... Right. That might work.

"ALRIGHT EVERYONE!" He slammed his shield against the stone wall beside him, sending a loud clanging noise throughout the cave as he started to yell loudly to make sure he was heard. "EVERYBODY OUT OF THE PORT. WE STILL GOTTA RESTOCK THE SHIPS, AND YOU'RE ALL IN THE WAY. WE'LL ADDRESS YOUR CONCERNS ONCE WE KNOW HOW WE'LL DISTRIBUTE YOU GUYS AMONG THE SHIPS!"

His words didn't make everyone calm down entirely, but it was more than enough to let people know that something was being done. However, he knew that his words were only half true. A few of the people wouldn't be given spots and he silently sent a prayer to God that no one else would realize that not enough people would fit.

"Next will be, yeah, you're the town's Cartographer and her family? Right, you're on shiiiip four. You can go through."

Procedure was something that the Lieutenant treasured greatly. It gave people direction and a sense of safety in that their superiors knew what they were doing. Which was why they had everyone outside the cave, waiting for their turns to be approached by guards, always making sure to shift which boat the next group would be assigned to in order to stop those around from realizing that a couple had already been filled. In fact, more than half the ships were already silently waiting outside of the fortress entirely as they had been filled first, and a few more were waiting to be let out. Only a couple of ships had yet to be filled by passengers.

"And you guys are…" The guard stopped, turning his head to cough and spitting a small glob of phlegm off to the side. He really hoped he wasn't coming down with something. He'd had a sore throat all day and it was getting pretty annoying. "Uh, right. You guys are a family of farmers. Dunno what you're doing all the way out here, but you can head to shiiiip twenty. You can go through."

What wasn't said was that the numbers they had assigned each ship were meaningless. Each group was simply brought to the next ship to be filled up. With this family, the next ship would be sent off soon as well, the bell that would normally be rung to signify a ship leaving staying untouched less a citizen with particularly good hearing notice it going off over a dozen times.

The guard continued processing families, but he noticed that he had already gone through more than ninety percent of the pages he had. And to his dismay, a couple of the citizens that were looking in his direction had noticed that too, and were approaching him. Even worse… he didn't think they were on the list.

"I'm sorry, can I help you? I'm pretty busy here." He quietly hoped they wouldn't-

"There's not enough space on the ships, are there." The guard knew that he would need to handle this carefully. A few people around them seem to have heard what he said, and were approaching as well.

"No, there is enough space, we just need to squish everyone in a bit." He hoped they would buy it.

"That's a lie. Now, let us pass. We refuse to be left behind." The guard's eyes quickly scanned the men before him. A couple held makeshift weapons in their hands. Probably mercenaries hired by some merchants. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see a couple more guards approaching to see what was happening and to back him up just in case things got violent.

"I'm sorry sir, but you're going to have to wait your turn. How about you give me your name, and I can call you up personally when I get to you?" However, even as he spoke he knew that his pleas were falling on deaf ears. The men before him weren't going to listen.

"Hey, are they telling the truth? How many pages are left? There are still like half of us left on this island."

"Wait, there aren't any pages left? They're not leaving us behind are they?"

"Oh my god, they're running out of room already! I'm not being left here to die!"

The calls of the panicking population only escalated from there. Fiction could no longer be told apart from fact in their minds.

"They're leaving us here to die! We're going to be left behind!"

"No! Let me past, I want to get out of here."

"Get out of my way! Me first!"

"No, me!"

The door guard could only watch in horror as the first punch was thrown, and the entire place was thrown into chaos.

"Oh no. Oh no. GUARD THE D-" However, he was cut off by something impacting his cheek, sending him tumbling to the ground and his list to the ground where one of the armed men picked it up and quickly started skimming through it before reaching the last page and freezing, before throwing his hand up in the air with the large stack of paper hanging from it.

"We're not on the list. WE'RE NOT ON THE LIST. THEY WERE GOING TO LEAVE US ALL HERE TO DIE!" his words were the straw that broke the camel's back, and the small riot instead turned into a mad rush towards the doors leading to the cavernous docks. And through this commotion, no one had noticed as the man skillfully slipped through a side entrance the guards had been using, his compatriots already passing through as they used the sudden rush of people to get past the gate and secure passage back to the mainland. If the citizens were in their right minds, maybe they would have noticed, but in the mental state they were in they couldn't tell that there was more than one entrance to the docks

The trained soldiers could barely hold the crowd back. They had been drilled in fighting monsters and protecting their fellow man. But fighting against a crowd of frenzied civilians? They quickly fell into a disorganized mess, and last vestiges of order fell apart as they attempted to retreat back to their ships.

"They're getting away! They're leaving us behind!" With sudden increase in energy from the cry, the civilians began to push forwards, banging against the door.

The Lieutenant had already heard the brewing commotion, and was sprinting up the steps, bypassing a set of panicked looking men who were nervously looking behind them, probably the last group to be let through before whatever had initiated the commotion started.

"You! What in God's name is happening out there?"

"Sir, it's a riot! Someone drew attention to the list, and people started shouting, and the next thing we know people are throwing punches and we completely lost control." The guard looked shaken, and the constant banging on the doors behind him only made things worse.

"Dammit. How many people did we get through?"

"I, uh, I think we got through nearly seven hundred people. Most of what was left were singles rather than whole families. But we didn't get everyone."

"...Damn. Okay, the only ships we have left that have yet to exit are one more filled passenger ship and the other two nearly empty ones. I think that if we-" However he had to stop as the sound of splintering wood echoed through the hallway they stood in, and all the soldiers turned to the door, a small break in it becoming clear to see.

And with another loud cracking noise, the tip of an axe broke through part of the door, digging into the large door-bar that held it shut.

"We need to go. Now." With that, the Lieutenant, turned and began quickly making his way down the large stone staircase to the docks, the sound of several pairs of pounding feet behind him letting him know that his men were following his lead.

The moment he was able to see the last two remaining ships, the men on it looking around worriedly, he shouted to them.  
"UNTIE YOURSELVES FROM THE DOCK! The citizens are rioting! We're getting out of here!" Even as he spoke, the men quickly started following his orders, all those left on the ground piling into the front boat and the inner gate swinging open for them. Both started to approach it slowly, small enchanted motors letting them move in the windless and waveless waters, though the one in front would be passing through first and the second would have to wait.

But even as it's nose entered the exit, a large crashing noise was heard from far up the staircase and the Lieutenant and his men paused for a moment in shock before realizing what had just happened.

"Dammit. EVERYONE, GET OFF THE LAST SHIP AND ONTO THE ONE HEADING THROUGH. ABANDON IT! THE RIOTERS HAVE BROKEN THROUGH THE DOORS!" the Lieutenant shouted loudly, his voice echoing throughout the cavern. Even as the gangplanks of both ships were suddenly lowered again, the both of them slowing to another stop as soldiers started rushing out from the second and running along the dock to the first, the trample of footsteps could be heard, and the small group sped up to join the rest of the soldiers heading to the first ship.

Skidding to a halt, a small puddle of water almost making him lose balance on the slick stone ground, the Lieutenant quickly ushered the last of his people up the ramp, being forced to go and lift one of them to his feet as he tripped and fell onto his knees and physically carried the man onto the boat, the adrenaline pumping through him making him momentarily forget the soldier could still move on his own.

"RAISE THE GANGPLANK!" Even as he shouted it, the first of the rioters could be seen coming down the staircase and out from the cover the stone walls provided.

"They're getting away!" The citizens were too late to catch up, however, as the first boat had already started passing through the gate and was more than halfway inside. Moments later, it was safely through the gate and the Lieutenant called out once more.

"CLOSE THE INNER GATE!"

Even as one of the citizens sprinted ahead of the others and jumped into the water, starting to swim towards the exit, it was clear to those rioters who were already slowing down that it was no use. The soldiers had gotten to safety.

And now, though their leaders were still there along with some of the more essential members of the fortress, just over five hundred people were stranded on the small island, any chances of deliveries of food gone, and the idea of rescue now a cruel joke.

They were trapped.


	4. Chapter 3 - Still Waters

Chapter 3 - Still Waters

 _It was the wolf that did it. Really started making me look at him differently I mean. With all the monsters around, you can actually forget that there are normal threats in the world like wild animals. Or sickness. Or starvation. You get the idea. Anyway, I was practicing my archery without supervision when a big old wolf comes along. But there wasn't any huffing or puffing when I was trying to survive its attacks. When I stumbled it went straight for my throat and me putting my bow between us was the only thing that saved me at that moment. That's when the idiot burst through the bushes behind me and stabbed it in the side. No, I didn't fall for him right then and there. At that point, the only thing I could think of in that moment was how happy I was to be alive. I never actually thanked him for it. Kind of regret it now..._

-

Week 5

The riot, thankfully, stopped only an hour after the ships had departed. However it was not due to the efforts of the town guards that they had calmed down, but simply that the sudden burst of emotions and loss of their primary target had made the rioting populace vent all their anger until they had none left, and left for their homes exhausted.

No arrests were made. In fact, the Guard Captain didn't even consider it and instead made sure that his men specifically _didn't_ make any arrests, knowing that doing so in response to their abandonment would only foster a bad relationship between the citizens and the town guards and make all their future work harder.

That being said, it had still taken a few days for everyone to really calm down and redirect their anger into productive work.

"Right, what's the haul for today?" The Dock Master asked the group of fishermen. While fishing was a common thing they did, they had to ramp up their efforts considerably and kept a couple of mages on board each ship to stave off any approaching monsters while staying relatively close to the fortress in case something happened. While they had more than enough wood they could scavenge from the unused houses, remnant of a time when shipping logs across the ocean was far easier than it was now, most of the houses remained untouched as the usable lumber they could get was low due to the wood not being the right shape, hardness, or even just big enough to patch any holes that they expected would appear in the few ships they had.

There were, luckily, two ports on either side of the fortress, though with most of the population building around the one on the west ships would often bypass the eastern one and head straight there to give the citizens easier access to their goods or to load and unload things faster. Because of this, the eastern dock had been used as a sort of storage for unused watercraft, be they the single small four person row-boat or the large but falling apart caravel that no one had gotten around to stripping down for parts.

It was the extra ships that were being used, along with the military vessel that had been scavenged of its stored food for the trip back to the mainland, that enabled the population to have a steady source of incoming food. While it wouldn't last them forever, and eating only fish and various shellfish wasn't the best diet to go on, it was certainly a welcome buffer to starvation, and one all of the people stuck on the island hoped would sustain them throughout the year.

However, meat wasn't the only thing they townspeople needed, and their store of fruits and vegetable was only replenished by what they had taken from the military ship left behind.

"We got about forty fish sir. Not nearly as many as we'd like to. Hopefully the others are having more luck." The Dock Master bit back a curse as he heard this. They'd have to start digging into their stores of food again.

The sound of footsteps behind him brought him a small measure of hope, and it grew when he saw it was the town's Mayor.

Many of the people had started to think badly of the man for forcing them to stay where they were, but the guards, those born and raised on the island, and those with important jobs knew that the leader of the town had chosen to keep his own name off of the list. He could have easily leveraged his past experience as a warrior in order to get himself assigned as a valuable trainer for the military, but he instead chose to stay on the island with the rest in order to increase their chances of long-term survival. He was in the same boat they were in, and already having lots of experience in managing the fortress they were quite thankful he had chosen not to leave them.

"Dock Master, I need to speak with you. Don't worry, it's nothing bad. In fact, it may be a bit good." The Mayor said.

"Oh, thank God. Ah, yes, and you can go now. Just get the fish unloaded and to the processing area, and get someone to fill my spot while I'm gone." Turning away from the fisherman once more, the Dock Master followed the Mayor up to the dock's office, though not before shooing the few people inside out of it.

"So, what's the news?" He hoped that the Mayor wasn't simply putting on a show for the fisherman to keep the citizen's spirits up, but he was thankful the man hadn't dropped his happy expression off his face which boded well for what was to come.

"You know that Botanist that got left behind? Well we've been having him go through the record books, and it looks like a group in the past had considered that this kind of situation might come about. They realized that since dirt was so hard to come by they would need to find an alternative. And what they found, was algae." He seemed a bit proud at that, though the Dockmaster's expression made it clear how he felt about it, and the Mayor was quick to elaborate.

"Essentially, the normal algae that you may find in swamps or stagnant water are technically edible, but come in such small amounts and are often surrounded by contaminated water that no one considers them an alternative food source. And in most cases, with the mainland having so much land available for farming, they are correct. But we are in a different situation, and that is why I require your assistance. We plan to use the water that gathers in our cisterns to grow two types of algae, and we've already found a suitable location to do so. What we need you to do is remove all of the ships currently in the eastern docks. I admit I don't know much about plants, but the problem is that our Botanist specializes in trees. We… admittedly don't actually know how much water they'll need compared to ones that grow in the ground. Either way, we'll need more water to fill the pools we're making to grow it all and stopping the seawater from being disturbed as it evaporates should speed up the process greatly." By the time he was finished, he was stroking his moustache slightly, deep in thought.

"I think I can do that," the Dock Master responded. "This won't need to stay on the down-low, right?"

The Mayor shook his head. "No. Don't see why, and even if it did there are too many people involved anyway. It might just take some time since we'll need to remove the ships that aren't seaworthy as well. Maybe you could have some of the…" Suddenly stopping, the Dock Master looked at him in confusion, but before he could ask why, the town's leader suddenly started walking back to the door.

"I'm sorry, but something apparently needs my presence. Just get the ships out of there, and I'll have some other people take care of the rest."

-

"Headmaster. Captain. What seems to be the problem? And why are we on the walls?" Having felt the magical pulse, he used his meager magical sensing skills to roughly estimate where his friend was, and was now standing with his two friends up on one of the wall towers. And seeing as the man had tried to keep things quiet, he realized that it must have been important and stuck to routes that few people took. Routes that even less people took, really, since the normally cheerful populace had taken to shutting themselves indoors when not working.

"The two are related. And the problem, is right over the edge. Take a look, and watch the waters near the base of the wall carefully." said the Captain.

Doing so, the Mayor walked to the window, leaning out of it to get a better look, and scanned the waters below, trying to figure out what the problem was. He quickly thought of some of the possibilities. Was there some kind of hole? An unidentified craft that was somehow able to sneak past the lookouts? However, both were proved wrong as he saw a small head poke out of the water for only a moment, his enhanced vision easily letting him see the bright blue hair and disgusting grin, before its owner seemed to notice him looking down and quickly submerged itself under the ocean waves. There was no doubt about it.

"That was a monster. Mermaid I think. Now what in God's name is it doing so close to the walls? They've always kept their distance for as long as I can remember…" The Mayor knew that this was a very bad sign. Whatever had kept the monsters away from the immediate vicinity of the walls was something he didn't really understand. Was it the fact that this place used to be the home of a previous Demon Lord? Was it the armed guards that had patrolled the walls?

The Captain could only nod in response, but the Headmaster seemed to want to give his own opinion. "I know you don't know much about the more holy parts of mage-craft, but one possibility is that God's protection field has somehow lessened in power, or they've found a workaround. We knew that it kept out the Demon Energy, as the sanctification of Kraken's Crown has given it the ability to enhance God's powers to an unheard of level as long as it remains here. However we never truly learned what the exact effects on a monster it has nowadays. Before the reign of the current Monster Lord, it simply weakened their magical strength greatly. But apparently before that one, it instead dulled their all of their senses. Something similar could have happened here." Before he could continue, the Guard Captain interrupted him.

"That may be so, and I really wish it has some similar effect now, but that doesn't explain why they've only started _now_. Why haven't they approached the walls before?" As he speaks, the Captain absently fiddles at his sword in its sheath, as if itching for a fight.

"Well," the Mayor says, "it could be related to why there are more monsters than usual. It may be a slight irritant that just kept them away, but now whatever is driving them to attack the ships is also encouraging them to ignore whatever was keeping them away in the past. I certainly wouldn't want to have my senses dulled if I didn't need them to be." At that, the Captain smirked.

"Well in the end I don't think it's the greatest of our concerns. You can keep your focus on trying to get us food. I've trained the men well, and we'll be more than enough to-"

Before he could continue, one of the wall guards burst into the room, grabbing their attention.

"SIRS! I'm sorry for the interruption, but there's monster trying to scale one of the walls!"

The eyes of all three men opened wide.

"Go," the Captain said, "bring us there at once!"

At that, the guard quickly turned and started running back the way he came, the Captain and Mayor drawing their swords and the Headmaster unbuckling his staff from where it was latched on his back, and all three began following him.

"Wind, speed my steps!" With a quick chant, the Headmaster was enveloped in a slight green glow before it faded quickly, each of his steps pushing him further forward than they should have and stopping him from falling behind the far more athletic warriors who could normally run circles around him on a bad day.

The Mayor snorted after hearing his words. "Wow. A chant? Thought you could ignore those. Unless of course you're just being dramatic again."

"Oh, shut up. I haven't needed to cast that one in ages. Not since… Zipangu... " however at that he stopped speaking and the Mayor stopped his banter as well, though the Captain chose not to comment. He knew there was something that had happened in the past, but it was apparently a touchy subject, and neither of the old men seemed to like talking about it.

The rest of the run was done in a slightly uncomfortable silence, the group of four making it to the north west side of the wall after about two minutes of running at a rapid pace, and they had gone a fair distance from the north side considering the large circumference the walls had.

"Right over here. It was one of the scylla."

The group slowed as they approached two more men, both wielding crossbows and looking to the three leaders for experience. "There's another two that are down there, watching, but the monster hasn't made any progress at least. Should we take it down while we have the chance?"

Before they could say yes, the Mayor, Captain, and Headmaster all looked over the side, and instantly saw what the man was talking about. A scylla, a younger one by the length of its legs, was trying to scale the unnaturally smooth walls that made up the fortress' outer perimeter.

The Demon Lord who owned the place was apparently wary of those who would challenge his throne, and had used his own demonic skills and sheer power to make them naturally repel anything demonic in nature, this sort of great enchantment only being possible as he had done this while moulding the island from the simple underwater volcano it had originally been. And thankfully, it was clearly still working in full, as the scylla started to slide off after throwing herself onto the wall, the suction cups on its tentacles not finding any purchase despite the wall's appearance as the perfect candidate to stick to.

Leaning back, the Mayor turned to the two crossbowmen. "Yeah. Take the shot. You, aim for the head, and you at the heart. I've seen some of these things survive blows that should kill someone outright, probably their weird body shapes keeping them from dying."

The two men nodded, before both leaning against the wall and looking over, trying to line up their shots would go while keeping their crossbows hidden as long as possible.

"Got the mark?" The Captain questioned. "Good. Crossbows up and fire on three. Go." Both crossbows swung over the side, now pointed straight at the monster, it leaping out of the water at the same moment.

"One." They adjusted the angles slightly, watching as she… it landed on the side of the wall, the slight slant near the base giving it enough to balance on slightly before gravity dragged it back down.

"Two." It's arms swinging all over as it started to slide backwards, though its attempts at slowing itself down would only make it easier to hit.

"Three." Both men pulled the triggers at the same time, the soft 'twang' of the drawstrings spreading through the air, but just as the Captain was saying the final word, the Headmaster suddenly drew in a sharp breath of air. And as the bolts were sent speeding towards the vulnerable monster, the two onlooking mermaids only just noticing the weapons being wielded by the guards, a wave, completely out of nowhere as far as the humans could tell, was suddenly thrown up at the scylla and knocked it off to the side where it impacted the wall and was sent tumbling uncontrollably into the water.

Even as the Captain failed to hold in a curse, the Headmaster spoke up. "Magic. It was magic. The moment before they fired, I sensed a sudden burst of Demonic Energy and I could tell that someone had cast a spell, or manipulated the water directly."

The two mermaids were already swimming to their companion who was shaking its head in confusion, and moments later the three disappeared back into the water, out of range of any further attacks.

The group quietly hoped that the monsters had gotten the message, but they knew that this 'warning shot' wouldn't keep them at bay for long. They'd need to keep this from the populace, or they'd be risking another riot from the fear the information would cause.

The Mayor sighed to himself, going over how he would have to spin it to those that would need to be informed, such as the Dock Master who would be the first to hear the reports from the fishermen who could easily take notice of the monsters so close up. He had always known that politicians would have to lie to the public, but doing so himself, even if it was for their own good, wasn't something he hoped he would get used to.


	5. Chapter 4 - Parasailing

Chapter 4 - Parasailing

 _When I had just turned fourteen, my brother and his friend being fifteen, that was about the time dad got sick. One of those ones that take like five years to kill you but you can still do stuff until then. Don't worry, we got him the cure. But it was that which got me off of the island in the first place. Me and the boys decided to hitch a ride on one of the ships and go get the medicine ourselves. Would be a lot faster that way. Of course, by then I had finally started realizing that guys could be kinda hot, so I suppose helping out my dad wasn't the only reason I tagged along._

WEEK 6

Food, for the average citizen, is a secondary concern. Even after six weeks of being stranded on an island with no food deliveries, the amount that people were able to scavenge and harvest from the ocean around them was enough to keep them feeling safe and unworried. However, the leaders of the island fortress knew that what they had so far coupled with how blase the population was in consuming these stores, it simply wouldn't hold off starvation anywhere near as long as it could.

Knowing this, a council meeting had been announced. Something quite uncommon, and with the failed evacuation there were some new faces and some others that were conspicuously absent. The Mayor sat at the head of the long table, hands held in front of his mouth with his fingers interlaced and his elbows resting in the table. The the left of him sat the Headmaster, if that title was even appropriate with all of the children and staff that had ran the school all being the first to get spots on the military ships. To his right sat the Guard Captain with his body covered in his ever present suit of armour, who took his oath to protect the people of his town from danger as far as he could, knowing that doing so could easily spell an ignoble death.

And after them came the rest of the makeshift 'Council'. The Dockmaster who presided over the boats and fishermen, The Botanist who happened to be the only female among them and who was caught up in the riot before she could board, The Baker who was now in charge of much of the cooking even if his trained profession was geared towards making bread, The Doctor who the town simply couldn't afford to let off of the island, The Priest who ran the only church on the island and refused to leave those remaining to the great relief of the populace once they found he had stayed, The City Accountant who hated the fact that he wasn't even considered to be on the list, The Quartermaster who looked like he would fall asleep at any moment, and the Mayor's Assistant who sat meekly on a small stool at the back of the room near the door.

The eleven of them made up the Council, and each knew that the lives of the five hundred civilians lay in their hands. While a couple of the members knew what it was like to hold someone's life in their hands, such as the Mayor and Doctor, the others had not. The Mayor silently hoped that they would understand quickly. If they stayed to blase about their position, people could die.

"I'm sure you are all wondering why I've called you up here." The Mayor said.

"Well I'm actually wondering why you haven't called us up sooner. It's been a month since we were abandoned here, and you only _now_ decide to call us up? This should have happened way sooner." The Accountant said, a bitter look on his face.

Though money was still useful at the moment for trading between citizens, he had already realized that he would quickly become obsolete and it was only his previous help that had given him the privilege of being one of those that were in the 'Need-to-know' group when important information came around.

"You should not be so rude to your superior," The Priest admonished, "he has had much to do these past few weeks, as have the rest of us."

"Hoho! Yeah, sure," The Botanist laughed scornfully before continuing in a mocking tone. "Heck, why don't you tell us mister moneybags, how much have you been helping? Because I found a way to save the lives of everyone here just a week ago. I'm sure you were able to do the same, right? Oh, wait, you-"

Before she could continue, The Mayor finally stopped him before he could go too far.

"This is not the time for petty arguments. I have brought you here for a reason. Each of you are important to the wellbeing of the city, so you deserve to know first. I have asked the Quartermaster to go over all the food stores we have, those both owned by the citizenry and what we have in the emergency supplies, and we have found something troubling. If we continue to eat as much as we have, then we will likely run out of food entirely before too long."

At that, everyone fell silent before the Baker tentatively spoke up. "How much do we have? I mean, how long will we last?"

"From what I could tell, at the rate we're going I'd say two months. If that algae thing gets up and running, maybe we can make it three. But even then…" The Quartermaster says, though after he had fallen silent he let out a large yawn and rubbed at his eyes.

The Mayor shook his head in exasperation. "Right, you stayed up too late. I think you should just turn in for the night."

"It's only three"

"Day then. Whatever. Just head back to your house, and you can come up when you're all rested later."

The Quartermaster stayed quiet for a few seconds, long enough that The Mayor thought he might refuse, but to his relief the man seemed to sag in on himself in defeat and slowly trudged out of the room with tiredness evident from how he walked.

"Now, about the food situation. I'm sure we can all agree that running out of food is unacceptable, yes? Good. If you all understand that, then I'm sure we can also agree that we must turn to rationing. Hm, yes, I know what that look on your face means Dockmaster. And your concern for the fishermen is why I called you all up here."

The Dockmaster stood up, making sure everyone's eyes were on him, before speaking. "I'm going to say it right up front. The fishermen are going to be working long days out in the sun trying to get food for the rest of us. They need more food then you all do, and arguing against that is the height of stupidity. They don't get food, they can't fish, and we all starve. End of discussion."

At that, the rest of the people seated around the table who had not realized what they would be talking about finally felt the last pieces of the puzzle click together, and the uproar began.

"I understand that the fishermen may require extra food, but we of the Church need to feed those with no way to help. The homeless are few, but they are far more needy than those who can work." The Priest said, but the Chef shook his head.

"Absolutely not. There should be no prioritization at all. All the citizens, _regardless_ of their jobs, should get equal amounts of food. It is only fair that we all stay on the same level here. Differences in distribution will only lead to unneeded conflict." However at that the Guard Captain slammed his armoured fist against the table in visible anger.

"It doesn't matter how equal we all are, or how much food we're bringing in if we're overrun. Ordinary men can live off of mush, but capable soldiers need actual meals. If the whole town is taken by the monsters, then I assure you it will be because we decided that those sitting around all day deserved more than those who were patrolling the walls and pushing themselves to the limit day and night."

"I'm not saying that they should get less, just that the fishermen should get more!"

"What about us? We have to eat well too! Would you have us become delirious with hunger and screw up our orders? We could lead the whole place to death if we start messing up!"

"A leader should be prepared to sacrifice his own well being for his followers."

"Well a _follower_ should be prepared to die for his leader."

The Mayor groaned as he lay back against his seat, the hard stone stopping him from getting comfortable. He knew this would be a long day…

The sun had set hours ago, and up in the sky the moon shone brightly in the night. Most of the lights were off, but despite the cold air from the sea that blew over the island the houses remained warm and the few lights that were on were shining bright with the small magical current running through them that originated from a large magical mechanism below the fortress.

However, down in the south side of the island, where no lights were on and only insects usually lived, as any rats that could have infested the island were always exterminated to the best of the inhabitant's abilities, a small group of cloaked figures gathered in a circle in a completely average house if one discounted the soft red light hanging between them. At some unseen signal, one of them, his hood emblazoned with a red circle, began to speak.

"These people's military, they have left us here. We did not realize what was happening until the riot had already started. And now we are trapped." At his words, those around him nodded in agreement except for one who seemed agitated if their constantly shifting robes were any indication.

"Damn Order. To leave their own people behind. The elders back home would never stoop so low."

"Quiet," the first robed man said as he raised a hand that seemed to make the blue glow a slight bit fainter, "the scrying spell takes time to send messages. Let us not waste our energy on things like that."

He lowered his hand, and the glow returned to its normal, though still weak, brightness and a soft voice began to flow from it.

 _"Worry not my countrymen. Things are not as dark as they may seem. The mamono, they continue to gather around the island, searching for a way in. However, as things stand they will never find purchase, and we have consulted the Hakutaku of the Mist and they have agreed to arrange safe passage through the waters. However, you will need to supply your own boat."_ At that, the Red Marked figure seemed excited.

"We have a perfect solution. Their soldiers left one behind. If we leave tomorrow night then-"

 _"No. Not yet."_

The man paused for a moment, as if disbelieving. "But why? Can they not convince the water dragons to help us?"

 _"It is not that we were unable to find someone willing to help. It is the cost that is the problem."_

"A cost? We have no gold, nor food. And anything we could grant could be better given from those at home."

Silence reigned in the small room for nearly half a minute, those inside getting nervous. What was the price that simply stating it was a difficulty? Before they could speak up once more, the voice returned.

 _"They wish for the fall of the island."_

"...Wh-"

 _"They understand you alone cannot complete the task. So what they have requested is for your escape to occur at a time of great civil unrest. To cause destruction in your wake, and to leave the populace more vulnerable to the mercies of the monsters."_

None of them moved. Even the one who had seemed so agitated before, now stood stock still.

"We… We know that men and monsters can live side by side. That we can work together. So why is such a cost being laid at our feet? By one of our own?"

 _"I know not."_

The man seemed to stew on the decision, the others looking between themselves in worry. Was their freedom worth the price if they had to force others to pay it?

"If that is the cost to save my people, then her request will be honoured. But, I must ask. Can she be trusted? Such a demand… Are there any others of her kind we can turn to?"

 _"She has staked her claim. Through both force of strength and laws so ancient that the Hakutaku had forgotten, no dragon nor being of the sky may enter. And for if she can be trusted? No. I do not think she can be."_

"Then why listen to her at all?"

 _"Because she has stated that if we do not work with her, then she will destroy any chances you get. Either we listen to her, or you fall with the rest of the island._

"I see. Then, in the next riot, we will make our move. And if one does not begin on its own, then I will start one. We of Zipangu will not let our stories end here."


	6. Chapter 5 - Rip Current

Chapter 5 - Rip Current

 _When we fought our first monster, I'll admit that I was confused. Goblins look remarkably like humans, and we didn't realize what the horns were yet. What we did realize was that it had just smashed my bro's BFF into a tree with a single punch. He was stunned, lying on the ground, and didn't move for a couple seconds. None of us did, except the goblin, who sort of just stood there with this stupid grin on its face. That's when I finally realized what just happened and I fired an arrow at it. I, uh, missed. I wasn't very good with using my bow under stress you see. My only targets had been wooden planks my dad set up. Not the most evasive thing to shoot at, but still I shouldn't have shot that far above its head. God, that look in it's eyes. It didn't seem to realize that we wanted to kill it. With me and my brother working together, we scared it off at least. Turns out they hate being on fire. But yeah, that's how our first fight turned out. I had a total accuracy of 0%, my brother's friend was lying on the ground, and my brother himself had set a little girl on fire. We got better, but it still embarrasses me to this day._

Week 7

"This is the fourth person who's gone missing sir. We… We need orders! No traces of blood, all the missing people had no family and lived alone, no sign of a struggle, and none of them had enemies or really stuck out in any way. Nothing was taken, nothing even destroyed, we just don't know what to do!"

The Guard Captain had only just come back from yet another investigation, a few people, all of whom were adult men who were fit to work, disappearing the past few days without a trace. At first they suspected murder, but it was soon dismissed. Or at least thought of as highly unlikely. A murderer would commit his crimes for a reason, even if solely for the simple pleasure of killing. However to be so capable that they could kill without a trace, and to only do so now? Unlikely. Something had happened to them, but whatever it was they had likely decided to leave their homes and disappear off to… wherever they went, of their own free will.

Blackmail? Maybe, but to what end? And why have they disappeared after the blackmail was delivered when it would be more effective to use the person for whatever purpose more than once?

"You've gotten the guards to watch the walls carefully, right?"

"Yes sir. I've actually been asking around for anyone who doesn't have work to help out for the night shifts. It's taken a big load off the men's shoulders."

The Mayor sighed, to himself. First the riot, then the food shortage, and now this. Deciding that maybe he should clear his head, he asked, "Captain. Mind if I accompany you on a short patrol? The fresh air along the walls should do me good."

"Hm, I'm actually off duty as off five minutes ago, but a walk without needing to keep my eyes peeled might help me get my mind off of this mess."

Pulling himself out of his chair, The Mayor headed to the door and fell in line behind the Captain, only stopping to quickly grab and throw on his old tattered coat, patches and stains he had decided to never get rid of to remember the excitement of his adventurer days despite the sad memories they brought up as well.

They quickly made their way down the spiral staircase and out the door, and The Mayor instantly felt a cold gust of air wash over him, pushing away the slight bit of tiredness that the dark night had brought him and making him remember something.

"Ah, Captain? Do me a favour?"

"Yes?" Hearing The Mayor's question, he turned to the man, lowering the magical torch he was trying to ignite, it's glow easily able to stay lit for hours on end but needing to be recharged by a mage once it had run out of power. They were often used by adventurers and simple town guards alike, so the town had far more of them in stock than they'd ever really need. Especially with the low population.

"I want to go without a light today. They always make the night sky harder to see." he smiled, with a peaceful look on his face.

"Uh, sir, it's almost pitch black out there with the moon being covered by clouds and all."

"Well, how's your Night Vision? You haven't been slacking off with it yet, have you?" The Mayor looked at the Captain with an eyebrow arched high. "I didn't teach you that just so you could ignore it."

Night Vision was a very simple spell that beginner mages learned to cast on themselves, and that experienced mages learned to cast on others, but for the close ranged physical fighters like The Mayor and the Guard Captain who lacked great aptitudes in magic they had to find other ways to achieve the same effects. Thankfully, the Spirit Energy that lay inside every human could be harnessed to achieve superhuman feats with enough training, but even among the abilities that could be learned enhancing one's eyesight was particularly difficult, and it was because of this that adventurers often worked in groups where even a basic mage could handle problems that only highly skilled warriors could really learn on their own. The main problem for the warriors was that unlike how they could simply flood their muscles with Spirit Energy to enhance their natural strength, speed, and reflexes, enhancing the more vulnerable extremities such as the eyes, ears, or nose was far harder. You needed to get the 'flow' of energy just right and maintain it the whole time. Too little and nothing would happen, and too much and you'd just get a headache with nothing to show for it. Thankfully, once you learned, then a bit of practice every day for a while would be all you would need to gain a sort of 'muscle memory' and stop needing to concentrate on the flow.

"Well, uh, I haven't been using it all that much sir. You know, need to conserve my energy in case of a monster attack right?"

At this, The Mayor snorted. "More like you're just being lazy. I know the torches are reliable, and you like to stay on the same level as your men, but in the coming days this kind of thing could prove invaluable." As he spoke, the Captain shrunk into himself more and more. He knew The Mayor was right.

"Now. Get yours up and running again, and let's head over to the walls. Which has the fewest people? I'd like to have some peace and quiet."

The Captain seemed a bit happy at the cahnge in subjects. "Yes! The, uh, western walls have the least number of people."

"Oh? I'd think the gate where we're letting out all the ships would be the most guarded. I know the Monsters will have noticed by now."

"You'd be right sir, but the guards have been making a lot of monster sightings by the eastern walls, so we've drawn men away from this side to keep watch on that one during the night." The Captain said this with a smirk on his face, The Mayor's previous experience with the man telling him that he was probably thinking to himself of how his current strategy would stop the monster's plan, whatever it was, in its tracks. However, something was tickling the back of his mind.

"...Captain, I think we need to head to the eastern walls. Something doesn't feel right. Or rather, this feels familiar to me. And not in a good way." Without waiting another moment, he began to stride across the stone tiled walkway, passing by the Captain wihout looking back to see if had followed.

In a short time the two made their way up to the vicinity of the walls, and quickly began striding across the edge towards the guard towers of the west side. Behind him he heard the man grunt as he stumbled occasionally over small bits of debris, as well as the sound of his armoured glove sliding across stone as he dragged his hand across the sides of walls to keep track of where he was on the path, likely still getting used to his Night Vision once again, but it only took half a minute before the man's floundering suddenly stopped as he properly gained control of his Spirit Energy.

However only a minute after they passed by the last guard tower on the north side, the Guard Captain suddenly spoke up.

"Wait, what? Sir… You see the torch up on the tower, right? Is it just me or does it look like no one's up there with it? Where's the guard?"

Without answering, The Mayor only picked up the pace and shifted into a jog, but his footsteps became almost completely silent. Behind him he heard the Captain start to follow as well, though his steps weren't quite as muffled. If something was over there, he had reasoned, then it would be best not to let it know they had noticed something was wrong and were approaching.

As they drew closer to the tower, they began to make out a figure standing near the walls. The missing guard? But only seconds later something else filtered into their senses. The sound of… singing? And not just any singing, but good singing. _Beautiful_ singing even. The Guard Captain almost stumbled for a second. Who voice was this? It made him feel safe, happy, wistful of home, and more.

"Oh goddamit." The Mayor suddenly rocketed forwards, breaking the Captain out of his slight distracted trance. He quickly shook his head, and realized that while he may not have been under the control of some foreign magic, the special gilded cross around his neck would have heated up greatly if he had been, but the sheer magnificence of the voice had been enough to make his attention stray. The fact that his leader had shrugged it off without a second thought… His respect for the man grew greatly in that moment. But he also knew that it wasn't the time, and began dashing after his leader.

Of course, by the time he had fully shaken himself out of his daze, The Mayor had already reached his target, and with a great leap he launched himself towards the man, plain clothed but wearing a standard issue shortsword and one of the temporary guard uniforms. And at the same time his feet left the ground as he dived forwards the man stepped forwards and off of the wall, about to fall either to his death or into the clutches of a ravenous monster, The Mayor shouting "NO!" as he watched it happen as if in slow motion in front of him.

The man began to fall forwards, body tipping forwards and legs leaving the flat surface of the wall's walkway, but The Mayor's torso hit the ground just at the edge of where the man had stepped off of, one arm snapping forwards to grab the man's leg as his other tried to find purchase on the smooth wall. The Mayor's first hand, fingers outstretched and a look of desperation on his face, pinched onto the edge of his pant leg before his other hand instinctively shot forwards to try and gain a better hold of the man's leg with the leverage he had gained but at the same time no longer trying to safely anchor himself. His legs flailed about, trying to get his feet to some place he could stick the edge of his boot into an indentation in the stone tiles, but his boots, too fat at the toe, found that they simply slipped off and only slightly slowed his inevitable fall. In that moment, he began to flow Spirit Energy throughout his body, knowing that while he could not stop himself from falling he could fling the man he had gained a hold of back onto the land though the opposite force would send him flying down towards the ocean far below faster than he believed his old body could survive.

But at the last moment as his foot finally left the edge of the wall, something grabbed hold of his own and his moment suddenly shifted from falling straight down to falling towards the wall like a pendulum. A second later, he flung his arm out at the wall his body had suddenly accelerated towards and stopped himself from smashing into it, which would have made him let go of the very man he had tried to save.

Silence reigned for a good five seconds, three pairs of heavy breathing audible over the slight whistling of the wind and soft crashing of the waves against the base of the walls.

"Sir?" The Captain asked?

"Yes?" The Mayor replied.

"Please, never do that again."

As if on cue, the two began to chuckle, The Mayor incredulous that he was still alive and The Captain amazed he had made it in time.

"W-What just happened? Where am I? Am I upsi-OH GOD, PULL ME UP, PULL ME UP!"

The two's relief were broken by the man they had saved finally realizing his situation, and the Captain quickly pulled the pair up and over the side of the wall, The Mayor and guard collapsing into a heap as the Captain looked them over for injuries before dashing to look over the side.

"...The singing stopped. And whatever was down there making it is gone. I think we're safe for now. Now what was that thing? I've heard of a flying beast that is supposed to have such a voice, but none from the ocean."

The Mayor sniffed in obvious disdain. "I doubt you would have. Some kind of relative of the Siren. Some actually say that the Sirens we know of were in fact named after the ones in the sea. Problem is, they're so goddam rare that any evidence they were there can be chalked up to other factors, and most don't ever get a chance to report it. Don't even have a name for the thing, since all the reports we got on what they physically looked like were conflicting. If it weren't for the barrier we have around the city keeping the more magical aspect of its voice from reaching our ears, I doubt that we'd only have one guy jumping… Oh dammit, that's what's been happening, isn't it?"

"Sir? Wait, you mean the missing people are-"

"Yeah. The blasted thing must have somehow been drawing them up onto the walls. Don't know why it went after the guard now if it didn't last time. Maybe it got greedy? Maybe another monster snatched the others up before it could get its share? Whatever the case, we got lucky here today. The fact we only lost four people is amazing by itself. If we hadn't got a closer look, or noticed that the guard wasn't up on his tower before he jumped off, we might have never figured it out."

"Uh, I don't mean to interrupt, but can you get off me?" The Mayor and Captain finally realized that, yes, the guard was still underneath The Mayor and couldn't seem to move underneath his surprisingly great weight.

"Oh. I apologize." Quickly climbing off the man, he continued speaking. "And how about you take the rest of the night off."

"And, uh, my shift?" The Guard Captain rolled his eyes at the man. He saw that the guard clearly wanted to go to sleep, but was trying to cover it up and make himself look better by asking about his work. But before he could say anything, the Mayor waved him away.

"Don't worry. But before you go to sleep, head to The Quartermaster and have him give you some earplugs. Enough for all the guards. Then distribute them around. The exercise will do good to get your mind off what just happened."

Nodding with a relieved smile on his face, the man quickly jogged away.

"Sir… We still need someone to guard this wall. I'll go and get one of the men watching the south to watch this one I suppose."

"No Captain. There's no need for that. I'd like to take the post for today. And if my suspicions are correct, the number of monsters that are seen by the eastern walls will go down over the next few days. After all, intentionally drawing the attention of a group to one side over a period of days for the sole purpose of striking at the other is something I took part in long ago. But once the ploy is revealed, it stops working and things can get a bit messy when you try it again."

The Captain stayed silent for a few seconds before nodding in acceptance.

"Yes sir. I'm going to head off to bed now. I'll have the men take up their regular positions tomorrow night."

The Mayor turned to the guard tower and slowly made his way up, deactivating his Night Vision as the bright glow of the torch started to hurt his eyes around it, he quickly noticed the single small chair and dragged it to the edge of the tower's parapet. His body lit up by the torch, making his figure easily seen by the slight unnatural motions on the sea that his hawk like vision could make out, he watched the walls around him and the sea for anything suspicious though he knew from experience that none would try anything for the rest of the night.

Eyes narrowed and a small frown on his lips, he settled himself in for the rest of the long cold night.


	7. Chapter 6 - Turbulence

Chapter 6 - Turbulence

 _Traveling on the road was pretty uncomfortable at first. Bro wouldn't let us make a fire at night, and we always had to stay hidden while we slept. I really didn't expect him to be so good at wilderness survival, and from what I could tell neither did my Bla- well, my brother's best friend. No, I'm not going to explain my slip up. You already know who I'm talking about, and things have to go in order anyway. Anyway, we got used to it pretty quick. We started off sleeping apart from each other, but we quickly started sleeping next to each other. And when it rained, we had to use the only sleeping bag between us. Yeah, they let me use it normally, but if we squished then we could all fit inside. You know, before we really hit puberty and were still a bit small. No. I-I don't think I'd fit into it anymore. We lost it about a year later anyway._

Week 8

The Mayor was kneeling on a large fishing net, holding a piece of it up to his face, the small rope it was made of being held in two parts.

"Those marks… they aren't frayed."

"No," the Dockmaster said, "That's a clean cut. Not worn away by friction, or torn through force. This is the work of a tool. Or some sort of claw."

The Mayor looked pensive at that. "And you're sure that it's not one of us that could have done it?"

The Dockmaster sighed. "Yeah. One of the fishermen didn't feel too well today so I went out to help. Threw it in and pulled it out myself, along with a grand total of no fish. Honestly, I'd prefer it if it was sabotage. At least then we'd know it wasn't the monsters doing it…"

The Mayor knew what he was getting at. If it was a human doing it, then they could at least take solace in the knowledge that the person had easy access to the nets. They had the chance to narrow it down. And even if they couldn't narrow it down, they would still know that the person was human, and was doing it for their own selfish reasons. But that, unfortunately, was not the case. The idea that monsters did it was a terrifying one. Not just because monsters were themselves intimidating, but of what them specifically targeting the nets implied. Guards posted on each ship meant that any monster intended to get to the sailors would be met with force, but they could only protect those above the water. Down below, where they could be assaulted from any direction? You may as well serve yourself up on a silver platter. But instead of even _trying_ to grab a few fishermen or trying to sink the boats, they had instead gone for the nets that were used to catch fish. One of the few ways the city could gather food.

"I was getting some reports that fish were getting away with unusual frequency too. But just before we got back into the city, a couple of the men found that their lines were outright snapped." His face remained carefully blank, but the Dockmaster's voice was strong and angry.

"My men haven't been harmed so far, but I know it won't be long if they stay out there. And even if they can somehow stay afloat for a while there's no way they'll actually be able to catch anything if their fishing lines start getting destroyed on top of the nets. I… I don't know what to do."

The Mayor could only look at the Dockmaster, the great fisherman's face turning from one of anger into one of defeat, in sorrow. Even if The Headmaster and The Mayor themselves tried to help, the mere fact that the fish and monsters would all be far below where the mage and warrior could see, let alone land an attack.

This… wasn't something he could help he and the Dockmaster himself knew that if he couldn't find a way for his men to catch fish again, then both his men, and in extension he himself, would be completely useless. Their hard earned skills, made pointless. They would feel like burdens to the city, ones that the others had to shoulder unwillingly. Leeches. Pests. Parasites.

He hated the fact that, deep in his heart, he felt a bit of pride that he knew he would never turn out the same way.

"This is the man sir."

It had been only two weeks since the first break in had been reported. Two weeks of suspicion. For a while, they had suspected that the person who had stolen the stored food and belongings of the small fishing family had been involved with the disappearances, but the discovery of the monster's plan had made them start from scratch. However, only a day after the nets had begun to be cut, the culprit had been found.

The Mayor wished that the circumstances of his arrest had been less tragic.

"Hmm. To be honest, I don't recognize him." The Mayor felt a bit foolish, but the guard's shrug, and he absently noticed it was the same guard he had saved only a week ago, told him that he wasn't the only one.

"I'm not surprised. He was one of the people left behind. Came in as a deckhand for a larger ship, but didn't make the cut. Up until now, he's helped out with small jobs. Helping out the citizens with problems in their homes, helping move food from the stores up to be distributed, and generally keeping out of the way. Guess getting into people's homes to move their furniture wasn't as innocent a motive as it should have been, if he was using it to scout out where people put their valuables."

In the situation they were in it was inexcusable. But the things he had stolen could still be returned, so long as he hadn't eaten or gotten rid of them already. Or at least they could have if that was his only crime. However, it was not. The reason that people, both civilian and Council members, were calling for blood was the fact that as he was leaving the home of his most recent mark, the young woman who owned the place happened to open the door just as he was reaching for it himself, or at least that's what could be corroborated by the nearby witnesses.

Apparently, the man had freaked out as she started to try and grab him to get her things back, and impulsively swung his hand at her. However, his hand was full of a small sack of coins, questioning of her family letting them know it was a rainy day fund of sorts, and the mass of metal was more than enough to knock her unconscious. It also smashed her to the side, where her head smashed against the tiled road, killing her. He may not have intended to do so, but he was now guilty of first degree murder.

The Mayor stood in front of the small cell, his body casting a small shadow that stopped just in front of the man inside it as the small magic torch's light flickered and wavered. They'd have to get it recharged, but for now the admittedly scary atmosphere it created could be used to his advantage.

"Well… I don't suppose you have anything to say in your defence?"

"I… I didn't mean to hurt anybody. I just- I just…" He couldn't seem to muster up the courage to explain himself. It was clear he knew what he did was wrong, and felt quite a bit of remorse for his actions. However, feeling bad for committing a crime wasn't nearly enough.

"You know, in some places the death sentence would be on the table. You killed a defenceless woman, and the only thing she tried to do was defend herself. From you." A slight alteration on how the events occurred, but it would compound what he did in his head.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, _I'm sorry_." He was crying now, small droplets of water falling to the ground as his body shook.

"However, we aren't those kind of people. I would never consider letting that sort of thing happen in my city. Now, I'm only going to ask you once. Do you want a trial? A chance to defend yourself in court?" He knew the man wouldn't take the offer, if his intuition was correct of course. Wracked with guilt, he would never bite at the chance to be free of his actions. And if he did? Then The Mayor knew he wouldn't be able to stop himself from slapping every possible punishment he could upon the criminal.

The man's response, was quiet. Almost inaudible. However The Mayor's enhanced hearing still picked out the soft "No.", and he nodded in approval.

"Well then I will give you your sentencing here and now."

The man didn't react.

"First, all of your belongings, both owned by you and stolen from others, will be confiscated by the city or returned to their original owners, respectively."

"Second, you will face imprisonment until we are rescued, or we die."

"Thirdly," At this, he tosses a small piece of charcoal at the man, along with a small chalk-board from the schoolhouse, "by the ancient laws, you are to write the name of the one you have killed five times a day. Once as you wake up in the morning, after every meal, and before you sleep."

"And finally…" The Mayor turns away and begins striding to the door as he speaks, "you will spend thirty minutes every day after breakfast in the barracks. And you will tell us everything we want to know."

The last point wouldn't be on the record books, but it would likely be the most important thing of them all. He knew that this man wouldn't be the last to be arrested, but having a large number of prisoners simply wasn't safe. They wouldn't simply… They _couldn't_ simply give themselves over to desperation and use the death penalty. Even if it meant making their lives a little harder, The Mayor was determined not to allow his people to murder a helpless man even if it was something some more extreme survivalists would consider the smart thing to do. At the end of the day, he knew that there was a line between man and beast, and he refused to cross it. However, with a man on the 'inside' so to say they had a way of stopping anything before it happened.

Leaving the guard to his post, he quickly began heading back to his tower. And more specifically, the meeting room. He had one more thing to address. Then he could put this day behind him.

"With those punishments given to him, the case is officially closed. I apologize I did not bring it to us to decide as a group, but I hope that my verdict is not too troublesome."

The eleven council members sat silently, though by the looks on some of their faces they clearly wanted the man to face greater charges. Straight up murder, after all, was something rare to hear about nowadays. It may have been more common with the previous Demon Lords, when the Demonic Energy was contained mostly in the bodies of the demons themselves, but the most recent incumbent demonic leader had created a much more corruptive change and humans had been forced to become more reliant on each other. Sure, violence happened between groups, but outright murder? When each person was valuable and you knew that every less man you had alive was one less that could help fend off the corruptive hordes? It was unthinkable.

"But now, for why I actually had you all summoned and not just sent a messenger. I'm sure we all know that more crime will happen in the future. With the loss of our fishing income, as we went over yesterday, food is going to be harder to come by. The algae is a bit of a help," The Botanist seemed to preen at the compliment and sent a snide look at the Dockmaster, "but it alone is not enough to sustain us. We have, amazingly, been able to scrounge together a bit more food, and The Quartermaster and my assistant have counted up what is left and how long we will last."

Standing up, the Quartermaster gave a quick report. "I'd say three. Maybe four weeks at best. The loss of the fishing hit us hard. We'll need to find an alternative, and _fast_ if we want to get through this together." At this, The Mayor nodded and the man sat back down.

"As you heard, food will be running low. We will be trying to relocate people to the western end, and knock down the buildings at the east to create more room for algae farms, but until they get up and running I have no doubt that the rate of crime will go up. People have been spooked by the murder, but it won't last long. And so, we need to decide how to treat crime in the future. Here is my proposal: All crimes from here on will not constitute public service, but immediate imprisonment. We cannot afford to let the criminals roam free where their still present hunger may lead them to cause more trouble, and we can't spare the guards to watch them all day when we need them to reassure the populace and watch for monsters. The thick cell bars should be enough."

Silence filled the room for the first few seconds, before the Baker spoke up.

"Er, isn't imprisonment a bit harsh? I mean, I'm sure they will understand that what they did was wrong, won't they? I'm sure we can convince them of the need to stay united."

The Guard Captain immediately scoffed in disgust. "Are you kidding me? Look, if people start committing crimes, then they're criminals. They had the guts to break the law, so they should have been ready for the consequences. And in the situation we're in, jailing them is hurting the rest of us more than it's punishing them. Every person in the jail is another person taking food away from the rest of the populace."

The Botanist blinked quickly, realizing what the man was getting at. "You-You aren't suggesting we just go out and _kill_ every person who breaks the law, are you? That's disgusting! Barbaric! I won't stand for it."

"Oh, you won't stand for it?" The Dockmaster replied, giving her a scathing look, "Well I'm sure you won't be standing later when you've starved to death because people too cowardly to work for themselves decided to get in trouble, and then still take away what should have been yours."

Surprisingly, the Accountant spoke next, giving an opinion that even left the Guard Captain slightly disturbed.

"I don't think that's enough. Criminals… If they're imprisoned then they're just going to encourage others to commit crime. After all, those in jail don't need to work. I say we make an Example out of the next man who, no, the next woman who steps out of line. Should leave more of an impact. And I know what you're going to say. 'Oh, that's disgusting and tyrannical.' Well I say that if people understand how far we're willing to go to keep everyone alive, then we won't be seeing any more crime. And if someone _does_ break the law again? Then we push things further. I refuse to die here, just because someone decided that they're more important than the rest of us are. And if that means that a criminal is going to have to suffer to get my point across? Well I find it hard to see anything wrong with that. Oh, unless you're going to suggest that letting your families starve because you wanted to feel righteous is something that you can sleep comfortably at night knowing."

The Priest, in a shocking show of aggression, slammed his fist against the table. "NO! I understand you are angry, but no matter what happens, I will not let us kill each other in the name of the 'greater good'. If the Church could teach only a single lesson, then I hope that the one they get across is this: We are humanity. We are not dogs scrambling for scraps at the bottom of a ditch, or monsters who live only for their own enjoyment by exploiting the weak. We are proud, we are united, and I will not let you hurt another man to pull yourself ahead as long as I draw breath. If you want to kill your fellow man, then you're going to have to start with **me.** "

The argument would continue long into the night, only stopping when the first rays of sunshine fell onto their eyes as the new day fell upon them.

It was decided that the prisoners would receive only a third of the rations that the rest of the populace would. When asked if it was enough for them to live in the long term, the Doctor fell silent but his face revealed the truth. That decision was finalized an hour later, and the new law was announced to the populace the next day.

There were no objections.


	8. Chapter 7 - Red Tide

White Flag 7 - Red Tide

 _We got to one of the city we were going to safely, overall. A few more scuffles with some goblins, but we learned how to fight monsters pretty quickly. The vast majority are all super specialized in one thing, so if you're not prepared then they can take you out pretty quickly, but if you know what they can do then they're practically pushovers. Well, as long as you don't get hit. Of course, there was that incident with the Hobgoblin. Thing actually got her hands on my brother. Thankfully, all the strength in the world doesn't make your eyes any tougher. Yeah, I stopped freaking out in combat. But anyway, we made it there, got the medicine, and headed back home. Our first adventure was a lot faster than I thought it'd be. But, I, uh, don't actually remember what the town was called. Oh, come on, give me a break here. It was, what fifty years ago? Oh damn, yeah, about fifty years. Man, does time fly._

Week 8

"So it's Opium?"

"No, Laudanum. Which is really almost the same thing I suppose, but the distinction is there. Whoever brought it in snuck it through a normal shipment of wine. Three crates, and the one at the bottom barely had any real alcohol at all."

During the confiscation of the prisoner's stolen goods, they had come across a bottle of wine. While not strange normally, in this case one of the soldiers noticed that, after opening the bottle to smell it, it was completely devoid of any scent. A quick unauthorized taste test later, and the man realized that what he was drinking was not, in fact, normal alcohol. The news of the drug's existence was quickly reported to the Guard Captain, and then passed on to The Mayor. Now, the two had the bottle in front of them in his office, but news of the discovery was being kept quiet for the moment.

"I see. So for how you found that out… I'm guessing our new 'Informant' was quite helpful in that regard?" The Mayor asked.

"Yes sir," said the Captain, "he gave us the location on who he took it from, and we questioned the owner. He seemed particularly reluctant to tell us where he got it, understandable for a man in his position, but we were able to get it out of him with a bit of encouragement. He also knew how the stuff had gotten in apparently. He was good friends with one of the merchants you see. Of course, that guy just had to be on the list."

As the Captain spoke, The Mayor quietly shook his head in exasperation. The Captain had been getting more aggressive lately. The stress of the situation and the recent happenings had really started getting to his head. The normal citizens he treated sternly but fairly, a brave and stalwart protector that they knew they could trust in in times of need, but the moment that he suspected or knew of criminal activity it was like his whole personality changed. Before he could just be a bit violent when it came to taking down troublemakers, but never had he apparently done so to a man only guilty of possession of narcotics. And a relatively minor one at that. However, The Mayor knew that the man could get results fast with this more brutal method, and as long as the suspect was still able to work he couldn't really afford to lay punishments on the Captain when all the manpower was needed to keep the city standing.

"So, after getting the location of where _he_ got it, we were led to a small house in the north sector that we had believed was abandoned. We found opium, henbane, a bunch more laudanum, and a few more 'recreational' drugs. We kept quiet and made sure the man wouldn't talk, so no one knows that we know. You told me that if anything big came up like this then I should bring it to you before doing anything else. So, I'd like permission to start tracking down every person in possession. Might take some time, but I'm sure if we take arrest a few of the people involved we can get them to squeal on the others."

The Mayor thought about it for a short while, the Guard Captain waiting patiently for his decision. On one hand stopping the use and distribution of drugs was something that should be on the priority list for everyone that's concerned with the health of the citizens. Especially with how things like laudanum crippled the effectiveness of otherwise perfectly healthy individuals during surprise attacks by monsters. However at the same time, it kept those who took it calm and composed, and would take away long aching pains and gave them relief as it went through their systems.

People were hungry, and hurting in both body and mind. Could he really blame them for wanting to just get away from it all, if only for a short while? No. But neither could he let this sort of thing slide. Both he and the Guard Captain swore to do their duties, and they would not break their oaths. But he to simply take away one of the few things that brought people happiness left? He didn't know if he had it in him. So in his mind, he compromised.

"Captain. I have reached a decision."

"Sir, yes sir."

"You are to set up a single guard to keep watch in an unobserved location. Have them watch the house at all times during the day, with shifts being taken as normal. We are short on men, so don't be afraid to have one on the wall keep an eye on the storage area as well." At this, the Captain nodded quickly with a small smile on his face. Clearly he was eager, but The Mayor knew that what he said next might not be as welcoming.

"However, you are to make no arrests." The expected frown came as expected, but the look of inquisitiveness was a bit surprising.

"Why so sir?"

The Mayor smiled, partially in relief, and partially in pride. The man rarely tried to figure out the reasons behind decisions before he acted on them. He was a smart man who could make his own connections, yes, but he was not a people person.

"To openly arrest the men, will create an obvious pattern, and the rest of those who had taken the drugs would immediately understand what may be happening. And though we may be able to get some names out of a few, I believe that not all the users will be aware of the others. They will continue consuming their narcotics, yes, but if we watch them over the next few weeks we will be able to find them all in a single swoop. Your way may be faster, but you may miss a few of the more secretive criminals." The Captain's eyes widened in understanding.

"I see sir! I will stop my men from confiscating any of the drugs as well. If we leave any evidence we were there it might clue them in that someone else has discovered their stash."

It was a compromise, yes, but The Mayor knew it was one that the Captain would take as a complete success.

However, the drug stash would not go unmolested for long.

"Well Doctor, how many are sick so far?" Not even half a day later, and a new issue had already cropped up. Or rather, an old issue that had finally started to sprout. One which they hoped they could kill off before it grew too many roots and became rampant throughout the city.

"Twenty four. Half of which are fisherman, a few of the cistern cleaners, and one guard. We've isolated them in the northern sector to avoid infecting anyone else, but I've seen the cough before. The obvious symptoms don't show up until a week after you've caught it." The Doctor's voice was slightly muffled behind his charcoal respirator. There were enchanted versions that were smaller and more effective, but the fact of the matter was that they had none left. They were delicate things, not suited to the salt and moist air like the city was, being completely surrounded by the sea.

"Do we know what it is?"

"I had to go back to my medical books, but after a bit of reading I found that it was a more obscure one from the desert regions. I don't know who brought it here, but while the cure is easy to get on the mainland it's completely absent where we are."

At this, the Mayor silently cursed. They say knowing was half the battle, but you still couldn't win if you didn't have the right weapon to defeat your foe. All they could do, at best, was force a stalemate.

"Are there any ways to catch it in a recently afflicted? And how well can the body fight it off?"

"For your first question, it starts off as a small cough," The Doctor adjusted his glasses as he spoke, "but will progress to a fever and runny nose within the first four to five days. That is when it is most transmittable as those around the infected will often try and help, and the coughing is an easy way for the sickness to reach new hosts. Sneezing follows a day after, and weakness of the extremities along with acute loss of appetite and increased sweating are the furthest it goes before most can fight it off. However, if the body doesn't fight it off within two to three weeks, it will lead to paralysis of the limbs and eventual heart failure."

"Now for resistance rates," he continued, "Those who have caught it before will be highly resistant, possibly immune if the book is correct, so I've gone to the liberty of looking up the medical records of everyone who had been to the region before. You, the Headmaster, and the Captain are immune from your adventuring days, and I caught a minor strain during my studies abroad, but the total number is unfortunately small. And those who came in from out of town don't have their records here at all, so we'll have no idea if they're immune or are potential carriers."

It was a clinical and unemotional explanation, but it wasn't what he wanted to hear.

"Do any drugs help the process? Or numb the pain?" He hoped they had something in stock, but with no shipments coming in to renew their stores…

"The best we can do for them is to stop the worst of their suffering with things like opium. However our medical supplies are low. Plus, we'll need to give them extra food to help fight off the infection. We don't have all the food we could hope for though, so even if we stuff them full they might still not be getting the food they actually need. The survival of the patients really all depends on how well their bodies can fight it off."

The Mayor fell silent. It seemed that they would have to go along with the Captain's original plan. At least one of the people he had spoken to today would come out happy.

"I can get you some drugs. Opium and the like. Just… make them comfortable. Please."

"I will. But, I've been hearing about some kind of storm incoming?"

"Yes. We believe it's a few days away. The barrier will greatly lessen its effects on the city, but it won't stop it completely."

"I see. I'll need to move the sick closer to the Heat Stones once it starts so they aren't sapped of warmth."

"I'll send men to help you. Just say the word, and I'm sure anyone here will be happy to help you out. The people on this island are a family. And family helps family."

"Ah, Captain, I was just about to call-"

"No time sir! We have a problem. There's a load of monsters hanging out near the eastern gate, and they said that they wanted to talk to the leader of the town. We got everyone away from the wall once they started making a racket, but a few people were getting nervous."

The Mayor, not wasting a single moment, practically leapt out of his seat and began striding to the door, the Captain falling in behind him. Flooding his body with Spirit Energy, even though he knew it would leave him sore for the next few days, his hand shot out and he quickly threw on his jacket and began racing down the staircase. In only fifteen seconds he was outside, and began sprinting directly towards the eastern end, feet barely touching the ground as each step sent him flying forwards. Though he himself was quiet and composed, The Mayor could hear the Captain a ways behind him panting in a failing effort to keep up with the fast pace.

With a loud thud, he pushed off of the ground in front of the wall that faced directly east and his body flew up almost vertically before softly alighting on the top of it right at the apex of his jump and sending the men who were now around him stumbling away in surprise at his sudden appearance. The Headmaster, who must have also heard what was happening and had already gotten his staff out, nodded silently to him, completely unfazed by the inhuman leap The Mayor had made. He heard a scrambling noise as the Captain instead raced up the small staircase that was far off to the side, but knew that he couldn't wait any longer. He quickly strode to the edge of the parapets, and cast his glance to the waters below. A shiver immediately ran up his spine at the sight.

Thirty? No, forty monsters. All of whom were grinning, some sort of smug knowing look clear on their faces, and far behind them, where he knew the holy barrier just stopped, was a some kind of scrabbled together platform. As his enhanced eyesight took in the vision of the seaweed and barnacle covered wood, he also noticed a small set of three figures resting on it. All three looked to be standard mermaid types, though the one at the front seemed to be holding some sort of device that it was holding up to its face.

With a deep breath, The Mayor channeled a small amount of Spirit Energy to his mouth and throat. This was actually something he had came up with to stun monsters with enhanced hearing, but it worked in other situations too such as this one. The Headmaster, his adept magical senses letting him know what was about to happen, quickly brought his arms up and the guards watched as a strange half dome bubbled into existence around them, with them in the center and the open side facing the water.

"HEY. GIVE ME ONE GOOD REASON NOT TO SLAY YOU WHERE YOU STAND."

The Mayor's voice, enhanced with Spirit Energy and mostly funneled towards the monsters off in the distance, felt like a hammer had just smashed into the guard's heads, and the Headmaster quickly rolled his eyes before he waved his hand smaller bubbles popped up around each of them.

Down below, a few of the monsters held their ears in pain and a couple of them retreated into the sea where the soundwaves had a harder time penetrating the constantly shifting water.

However, the response didn't come from the ones far away, but instead from one of the many monsters near the wall. "Hey! Yeah, me!"

A small mermaid was speaking, an angry look on her face. She seemed young, but seemed to be brave enough, or foolish enough, not to run away. "Yeah, I've got a message for you!"

"Well then," The Mayor huffed, not wasting his energy on shouting loudly anymore, "give me this message, and then get out of my face. Guards, crossbows! It tries anything, and you shoot."

Quickly waving her arms in protest, the mermaid said "W-wait! I'm just here to tell you something! Okay, so, uh, yeah! Ahem." She tried to force herself to calm down, taking a few deep breaths before a bit of the panic left her.

"We mamono have decided that the people of the city deserve food. But in repayment, you have to let us in. And as proof that we have food here's a large basket of it." She fell silent for a few seconds, as if waiting for something, but no basket appeared. She quickly turned around and seemed to get in a small argument with one of the other mermaids, and then turned to The Mayor again.

"Uh, sorry. Okay. We mamono have decided that the people of the city deserve food. But in repayment, you have to let us in. And as proof that we have food here's a large basket of it." Behind her, three more of the mermaids started to lift something out of the water. It was indeed a basket, filled to the brim with food. But what was inside of it…

Prisoner Fruit, Corruption Fruit, Melting Vegetable, and even a few large Demon Realm Spuds. And was that a Raging Mushroom?

A look of disgust spread across the Mayor's face. He really couldn't believe they thought he would ever accept that, and turned to his long time friend.

"Caster. Burn it to ashes."

"With pleasure Blade."

With that, a small fireball began to manifest itself above the man's staff, but it quickly grew larger and larger in size until it was twice the size of the Headmaster himself. The brightness and heat were so great that the nearby guards who had formerly been pointing their crossbows at the monsters instead started to back away while shielding their eyes, but neither he nor The Mayor moved in inch, both staring directly at the monsters who had now realized what was about to happen. Then, with a small flourish, it rocketed towards the basket and those holding it, all of the monsters gathered at the sea instantly diving into the water and letting the basket and the fruits held inside hit the water and start to sink. However while they may have been able to get away, a large area of water almost instantly flash-boiled by the heat of the spell, and the fruits which were slowly making their way to the bottom began heating up until their cells couldn't take it anymore and exploded, sending bits of fruity flesh all over the water and completely charring anything still intact.

A few seconds of silence passed by before small chuckles bubbled up from the guards, and quickly all of them, the Guard Captain, began laughing and cheering in joy at the show of power the Headmaster had made. At that moment, they knew that no matter what came their way they had an ally that would wipe out anything that tried to assault their home.

But despite the small victory, the monsters weren't done yet.

"OY! HUMANS!"

The group of men, previously cheering, immediately stopped and all moved up to look over the parapets, seeing a lone monster, the one that had spoken before, staring up at them with a grin on its face. One that told those looking at her that she knew something they didn't. Something important.

"Guess what! The scary boss lady said that she knew you guys wouldn't take it in the first place."

Both The Mayor's and the Headmaster's eyes began to widen, both remembering something.

"Now that you've said no, we're gonna send another message. But this one ain't for you."

Turning to the Captain, The Mayor quickly spoke. "Get every man out into the city!"

"This message is for the people. A message from my big sis." She spun around, and stuck one hand into the air, waving to the distant figures. Two of them lifted their hands and began pointing them, a soft glow surrounding their hands, at the oldest of the group who began to trace a small pattern along its throat at the same time."

"E-everyone sir?" The Guard Captain looked confused. In a normal circumstance, the Mayor would be calm and explain the situation. But this was _not_ a normal circumstance.

"JUST GO! NOW! CALM THE POPULACE!" The Mayor bellowed, and despite nochanneling any Spirit Energy into his voice he seemed almost louder than before.

"C-Calm them? But sir there's nothi-"

 **"HOW DARE YOU."** A voice boomed, easily heard all around the city. A voice that was, interestingly enough, sounding exactly like a proud human male.

The faces of both The Mayor and The Headmaster became stark white, the blood draining out of them in fear. He turned back to the distant figure, and saw the mature mermaid staring directly at him with a savage grin on its face as it held some kind of parchment in front of it, obviously reading from it. Likely some kind of script so it knew what to say. It opened its mouth, and the same stern male voice blasted from it again.

 **"WE OF THE ORDER HAD COME TO YOU IN GOOD FAITH."**

"CAPTAIN! JUST GO!"

 **"WE BROUGT FOOD TO YOU! SENT IT OVER AS PROOF. AND YOU DESTROYED IT AND NEARLY KILLED THE MESSENGER WE SENT!"**

"H-Honey. That isn't true, right?"

"It can't be! I mean, I saw the fireball, who didn't, but they couldn't have shot it at a human, right?"

 **"OUR ORDER'S FLAG WAS HELD HIGH! YET YOU SHOUTED US DOWN AND THREATENED US!**

"But… That's… Hey bro, what did The Mayor actually say?"

"I don't actually know. It seemed a bit muffled, but... I think he said he would cut them down. But he wouldn't… I mean, why would he do that? It's the Order! They're on our side!"

 **"WE REFUSED TO BELIEVE THE REPORTS. THE REPORTS THAT SAID YOU WERE A TYRANT WHO LIED TO HIS PEOPLE TO STAY IN POWER."**

"The Mayor's been doing _what?_ "

"No, that can't be, right dad? I mean, what did he even lie to us about?"

"I dunno sis. Maybe he didn't lie to us. I mean, even if he did then he's gotta have a good reason for it, right?"

 **"YOU'VE REFUSED TO HAVE THE REST OF YOUR PEOPLE EVACUATED. REFUSED TO TELL THEM OF THE FOOD YOU HAVE HIDDEN AWAY. REFUSED TO TELL THEM OF YOUR COMMUNICATION WITH THE DEMONS!"**

"I can't believe it!"

"Well I don't at all. This is clearly a trick."

"Shut up uncle! What if it isn't? The Mayor can do things that even my brother can't even begin to understand and he's been in the town guard for years! Maybe he got that power from the Demons!"

 **"WE OF THE ORDER SHALL RETURN IN A WEEK'S TIME. BY THEN, WE HOPE YOU WILL RECONSIDER AS WE BRING THE FULL FORCE OF THE MILITARY TO KNOCK YOU OFF YOUR THRONE AND SAVE THE CITIZENS!"**

"A week. One week, and we get rescued! This is amazing!"

"What if it's a trick though? Maybe… I mean it might be a monster saying this, right?"

"Oh come on. That's clearly a guy, and all the monsters look and sound like chicks."

"Who care guys? We're getting rescued!"

"We ain't gettin rescued if the Mayor doesn't let them in, you know that right?"

"I… Oh god, you're right! The Gates, they can only be opened from the inside."

 **"WE'LL BE LEAVING NOW, BUT WE'LL RETURN! REMEMBER, ONE WEEK! WE HOPE WE CAN SAIL INTO THE CITY AND ACCEPT YOUR SURRENDER WITH OPEN ARMS. THE LAST THING WE WANT IS TO CONTINUE FIGHTING. GOODBYE."**

"The gates won't open for them if the Mayor says they won't be."

"Well then you know what that means, right?"

"We sneak past?"

"I, well, that could work too. Wait, no, it won't. He's going to have guards watching. They're loyal to him to a fault."

"Bah, well then we just take out the guards too!"

"Take out the g- Huh? What's that sound?"

"Isn't it obvious? People have already started! We're taking down The Mayor and all of his cronies! We're going to help save everyone here! Now who's with me?"

"Hell yeah!" "I-I guess?" "Let's do this!" "Let's break some heads!"

"...Caster."

"Yes Blade?"

"I remember doing something like this myself, once, long ago."

"Yes."

"It worked magnificently on the monsters, didn't it?"

"It did."

"We swore to never raise our weapons against our fellow man, didn't we?"

"We did."

"...I'm going to have to break that promise, won't I?"

"We both will."

Nine small orbs of electricity formed above the Headmaster, making a small arc over his head, each crackling with a small amount of power. Enough to hurt and stun, but not enough to kill. At the same time, The Mayor's hand dropped to his side and gripped the sheath of his blade. He unclasped the sheath from his belt and tightened a small strap that held the sword inside, and then proceeded to give it a few practice swings. No edge, and heavier than normal. Harder to use. But at the same time far harder to kill with. They looked down at the town, the sound of fighting and things breaking reaching their ears already. Another riot. And this one would be far harder to put down.

"God… Lend us strength."


	9. Chapter 8 - Brinicle

Chapter 8 - Brinicle

 _When we got back to the port city, it had been two, maybe three weeks, since we started our adventure. They had a letter for us there. Turns out it was from my father. I don't know how, magical dad powers probably, but he seemed to have figured out that despite the danger we faced… All three of us just loved the adventuring. We loved the battles, the sights, the sense of wonder as we saw the mainland and all of its splendor. So he had a letter brought over with the next ship that had arrived, addressed to us. Turns out an old friend was waiting in the port already to take the medicine to him, and that we shouldn't come back until our wanderlust had been filled. That every teenager should get the chance to see the world themselves before the duties of the island started to tie them down. He was an adventurer himself. He died a few years later, while we were wandering the desert, about a year before I... Well, you know. What? Oh. Er, no. He actually, uh, ate some bad fish. Yeah, I try not to think about it._

Week 9

Nine hours. That was how long the riot had lasted, and for the government to regain control of the populace. However, none were happy with the results. After all, eleven people in total were dead in the chaos of the fighting, and two more who had never raised a hand at anyone in the first place were found dead as well. And there was nothing to show for it.

"After the fireball, that many of you saw, was launched at the basket of corruptive foods, the monster declared that actually giving us the food was never the intention in the first place. That was when the monsters began using a spell in conjunction with an enchanted device. I suspect that the spell was used to amplify its voice, and the device was used to alter its voice. And the rest… Well, you were all there for what happened after it started speaking." The Mayor's words were given flatly. Barely any intonation, no hand movements, and his eyes remained on the table in front of him. He had to stay as objective as possible. Getting emotional wouldn't help anyone.

The Council remained silent after he finished speaking. None of them were in any mood to talk.

"Please. Just come out. The fighting is over. The uprising is quelled, and you must have heard The Mayor's announcement."

"I refuse. You're just going to kill me, like all the others."

"Only about ten people died. And those deaths were all at the hands of the rioters."

"That's what you may say, but that doesn't make it the truth. For all I know you and the rest of the guards used the riot as cover to kill everyone who's been speaking against The Mayor."

"Hey. Hey, listen to me. You were the smart one, and I was just the strong one. So I _know_ that you probably already figured out we're not after you. Everyone was throwing punches, people were getting hurt, and people were scared. No one is blaming you if you hurt anyone, okay? I just want… Just come out."

"Yes. I was the smart one. But you know what that got me? _NOTHING!_ I got left off the list. You've been trained by the guard! If you wanted to, you could have gotten a ride out of here as well. But me? I was worth less than a goddam carpet salesman. And… I didn't… I didn't just throw punches. I hurt somebody. I really hurt somebody. And the worst thing is that I'm not sorry about it! Even now. I'm just confused. And if I hurt someone again… There's something wr-"

"NO! DAMMIT, PLEASE! You're my brother. Whatever happened, it's okay. Just… Look, if the guards wanted you dead, they would have knocked the door down. I can give you an alibi. You won't go to prison. I know that you were involved with the attack on the church, but-"

"I'm not… I'm not leaving the house. I have… I threw the stone. It was me. If I go out there, then…"

"Then that's all I need to hear." A large hand clamped down on the guard's shoulder as the new voice rung out, making his head turn to the one who had placed it on him in surprise.

"C-Captain! What are you- I thought you were in a meeting!"

"They needed the manpower to continue patrols to make sure that everyone was okay. But surprise surprise, you were in a meeting of your own." The Captain was acting eerily calm as he spoke, and never once reached for his sword or let his eyes leave the guard's own.

"Sir, I was just-"

"Talking to your brother. The one inside that house, who's trying to keep quiet while hoping I don't know he's there." At this, the guard tried to pull away, but found that the grip on his shoulder was like solid steel and that no matter how he began to twist and turn the man's hand didn't even move.

"Look. You've been working under me for years. So I'll give you the chance to give me a reason. Just _one_ reason, why I shouldn't bash that door down and cut him down where he stands. Or a reason not to drag him out into the middle of the town, tell everyone what he's done, and then let the crowd sort things out. Or to just beat him until every bone in his body is broken and then leave him to slowly die." The Captain's voice, still devoid of emotion, got louder and louder as he spoke. Yet if it wasn't for the man's hand that had clenched itself into a fist so hard it was shaking, the fact that he was angry would be impossible to make out.

At the sound of something behind him, the guard instinctively looked back to see that the door his brother had been hiding behind was slowly being opened and the young man was walking out. On his face, a range of emotions flashed into and out of existence. Fear, anger, despair, and confusion were all present, with others making their way into his expressions as well. But there was also an air of determination.

"Y-You won't kill me. Or hurt me. Because that's not what he would have wanted."

The moment he said that, it was as if everything in the small alleyway froze still. The Captain's eyes stared straight into the man's without blinking.

"What. Did you just say?"

"He always said to treat other humans as if they were your family. To never harm a hair on another's head, even at the cost of your own health. Because the moment that a man can strike down another out for things like revenge or for reasons they tell themselves are righteous then he will begin walking down a path without redemption. To be a truly virtuous human is not to know how to kill for others, or to display one's strength in battle, but to show mercy and exercise restraint." As he spoke, both the guard's and Captain stared at him in astonishment and a mix of rising horror and disgust.

"You're quoting him. YOU ACTUALLY HAVE THE AUDACITY TO REPEAT HIS WORDS IN FRONT OF ME?"

"I am giving myself up. I will take any and all punishments you believe I deserve." At that, the man slowly fell to his knees, hands held high above his head while staring straight at the ground. However, if any could see them, they would see only a dark sort of satisfaction mixed in with his fear and panic in the face of death.

"Brother… You can't really be... How could you?"

"I am giving myself up. I will take any and all punishments you believe I deserve." He repeated.

The Captain, face contorting into one of rage and grief, let out an agonized yell and punched the wall of a nearby building, his fist easily smashing a hole straight through it, before turning away.

"Guardsman… Take him to the prisons. Do… Do not harm him."

"Captain, I-"

"Just go. I need time to think."

It was sunny and the light shone brilliantly through the stained glass window of the church, and with the accompaniment of a young woman's voice giving a sermon to the dozens of people seated inside it seemed almost idyllic. However, there was an undercurrent of fear and sadness beneath it all, and though the woman's face showed determination any who gazed upon her would easily see the dark circles underneath her eyes and the slight tear tracks running down her cheeks.

"And let God guide us on this day and the next, until we draw our last breath. For at that time we will rejoin with those we have lost in the holy realm of heaven and, and we shall know peace. Amen."

"Amen." The crowd repeated.

Religion was one of the main things that humanity knew. From the Order's capital city to the far reaches of the Mist continent and Zipangu, while not all worshiped the Chief God none could deny its existence. Especially when his emissaries came down from heaven itself to assist humanity against the Demonic threat. Some would say that worshiping a higher being was foolish, but in the dark times that humanity had to face every day having faith and hope in a better tomorrow was all that would keep them going some days. God's power was invoked to create holy objects, heaven's warriors found purchase against the hardened flesh of Demonic creatures that normal blades could not, and those chosen by god were given a strength unrivaled by all but the greatest of humanity's warriors. Because of this, Heroes were seen as representatives of all of the hopes and dreams of humanity, to be helped and supported at all costs. But only a step below them was the Church itself, whose benevolence and steadfastness against all those who would raise their hand against both innocent and criminal was well known. It was this amount of admiration and trust that let the leader of a Church hold just as much sway and respect as the leader of the town itself, and the respectful silence that the citizens held as they filed out of the building was a prime example of it.

Soon, only the Mayor and Headmaster were left, and they approached the young woman who was holding a small cross to her chest as if it was going to disappear the moment she let go of it.

"Sister. How have you been? I know that it's been only a couple of days since the… riot occurred. But we believed it was best to check up on you."

She raised her eyes to the two of them as the Headmaster spoke, The Mayor knowing that his role in this discussion would be minimal, before she walked over to one of the church pews and slowly sat down. As she began to speak her voice came out unsteady, as if she wasn't completely sure of what she was saying.

"When I was born, my mother died in childbirth. A month later, my biological father was apparently taken away by a Demon. I lived here my whole life, and even now my father's lessons, my _real_ father's lessons I mean, are still ringing through my head. But now…"

The Headmaster nodded stiffly. "Yes, you feel doubt. You don't know if his words that seemed so wise and absolute are valid anymore. You're wondering if you even know anything at all. You're wondering if you even know who _you_ are."

She blinked rapidly, stunned by his words. "I, yes. You've summed it all up better than I thought it could be."

"I was a teacher for many years," The Headmaster snorted in amusement, "and I've spoken to many children and young adults who have been just as lost as you are. Maybe the kids on this island are made or sterner stuff than most, but they're what I know best." The look in his eye told her that he wasn't taking the situation lightly however.

"And even more, I've spoken to a few who have been in your position. The circumstances were different, but they too lost someone close to them. Now, you have something you want to get off your chest. Don't hesitate. Tell me everything on your mind."

The Sister took a deep breath before talking, mustering up as much courage as she could. "Dad always said that no matter what happens we always have to remember that humanity is united. Some people may stand with another because of hate towards the Demons. Some out of love for each other. Others still out of simple fear of being left alone. And some who stand against those who would hurt us because fighting is all they have left. But now…"

She stopped for a moment, tears starting to run down her face that fell to the church's stone floor, and her body started shaking while small sobs could start to be heard from her. If she were wearing a hood, she may have kept her face hidden, but the past few days she refused to put one on and had worn a small hat, that the two men remembered well, instead.

"W-was he wrong? He lived his whole life saying that people were good. That humanity had i-its ups and downs, but no matter what would happen we were all a family. That the sadness one feels when their fellow man is hurt isn't one ordained by god, but one ordained by our very souls. That the happiness we feel when a baby says his first word is the result not of some higher power but was just one of the simple joys of life. He told me that his faith in god made him strong, but his faith… His faith in humanity made him even stronger." Her eyes rose to the Headmaster, staring at him as the tears continued to run but now her expression was one of confusion.

"Grandfather. Was he wrong? He always preached togetherness. And trust. But the very ones he believed were his family have-" Before she could continue, the Headmaster threw his arms around her, stifling her next words.

"I… I don't know what to tell you. The truth is, I don't know. He always looked at man as if was a wonder he could scarcely believe was real. Even when times got rough, he always helped those in need. Even when they thought him a nuisance. But I always trusted that at the end of the day, he did what he did because he knew the difference between right and wrong. And I know that…"

The Headmaster stopped for a moment, a wheezing breath stumbling out from him, years of exhaustion flowing through him all at once.

"And I know that he would have died knowing that no matter what had happened he had lived his life with his head held high and with his conviction in his trust in man unbreakable. Even if they were what ended him."

Quietly, The Mayor turned away, both out of respect for his friend and the Sister, and out of the instinctual knowledge that this moment wasn't one he should intrude upon. With soundless steps he made his way out of the Church, leaving the two people who were shaking and sobbing in uncontrolled grief to their privacy.

"You thirty one men and women have been charged with the destruction of private property. Attacking the guards who had sworn to protect you. The murder of thirteen citizens. And the looting of those who had either fled their homes or who you had beaten down."

The Mayor stared down at the large, painfully large, group of people who had all been placed in strong twine rope bindings made from the fishing line that now lay unused, him on a raised stone ledge where the courthouse had formerly stood and with the ashes still warm. Seated on a small wooden chair taken from an abandoned home, for a moment he pictured himself like a preacher ready to deliver a sermon to his people, before he quickly shook the thought away. The fire that engulfed the small section of the north sector hadn't lasted long. Only half an hour. But the wooden buildings that had been painstakingly created generations ago had been built to last against the effects of the salty sea air and made resistant against the effects of the waves. Among the things they were built to withstand, fire was not among them. And because of that, the fire had been fast, destructive, and in the case of one of the town's few elderly residents, deadly. The Mayor hoped that God would forgive him for letting what may as well have been the mother of the Hero die in such a cruel way.

"If you have any objections. You are to speak them now."

To his utter disgust, one of them actually began to try and state his case.

"Yeah, I have one objection! You can't prove I did anything! I didn't take no one's stuff!" A bearded man stared at The Mayor angrily. He was one of the people charged and was from the third of the population that was from out of town. In fact, only four of the people charged were natives.

"So you object to theft, but you do not object to the murder of the innocents?"

"W-What? That's not… I didn't!"

"No. You didn't kill anyone. But what you _did_ do was knock a man unconscious and break his wife's arm. And I shall not even speak of what the guard who had apprehended you reported you were in the middle of attempting to do." At that, the man shrunk back under both the glare of the Mayor and the surprised looks of the prisoners around him.

Standing up from his seat, the Mayor spoke in an uncompromising tone. "You are all guilty. Far more people than you few have committed senseless violence and destruction. But unlike the rest, when the guards stopped you you were in the middle of acts that were decidedly not senseless. You were in full control of your actions. You, in the chaos, fell into destruction not out of fear but instead used it as cover to commit horrific acts against your fellow man. _None_ of you are innocent. And yet I know that we did not catch everyone. But that does not mean that your punishments will be any lesser. Until we decide what to do with you, you will be jailed indefinitely."

Some of the prisoners immediately started to object, but The Mayor simply spoke above them.

"There will be no appeals by you or your families. No parole. No second chances or community service. BECAUSE OF YOUR ACTIONS, OVER A DOZEN PEOPLE LIE DEAD! YOU DON'T SEEM TO UNDERSTAND. THIS? THIS IS **NOT** A TRIAL. YOU DO NOT _GET_ A TRIAL. THIS IS YOUR JUDGEMENT." By the time he was finished, The Mayor was shouting even after the prisoners had fallen silent out of fear.

 _ ***KRACKA-THOOM***_

However, as his speech had ended the sound of distant thunder blasted through the cloudless sky, as if the heavens themselves were emphasizing his words. After the loud rumble had passed, however, The Mayor took a few deep breaths and quickly composed himself.

"Guards, take them away. I want them to rot in their cells, not freeze to death in the coming storm. Unless they have something else they want to say. Some further words of wisdom or pleas of innocence."

The Mayor stared down at the group, imperiously. There was no mercy in his eyes. No willingness to put up with their words or actions.

And there were no further objections.

A robed figure seemed to hesitate as he spoke to the orb of light that he and his companions, one lesser after one of the men was killed in the spontaneous and horrible riot, nervously, fear for what would happen clear in his body language.

"We had no chance to move. The fighting was everywhere, and we could not find our way to the docks around the panicking civilians, let alone find each other amongst the chaos."

 _"We understand, but you must know that the mamono in charge of the siege had expected you would take advantage of the confusion and slip out. They had instructed it to begin specifically in order to help you."_

"We know! Please, we know. Yet, we had no way of knowing when it would happen. A single day's notice would have been enough for us to gather in the docks, and escape unscathed to return to our homeland, but we received none! For a few moments I had been taken up by the fervor myself before I realized what had happened."

 _"Yes. As you have already said. But she does not seem to care. However, there is another chance._

The robed figures looked at each other excitedly. Though the riot had been horrible, this was the best news they had received all day and they felt their spirits soar at the opportunity for another chance.

"We will take it. Is there a set date? What will happen?"

 _The sea dragon has given us instructions to relay to you. There is a storm coming your way, and it will last five days and nights. On the fifth night, you are to head to the western docks and open the gate. A monster will enter through the opening you create and open the door from the inside while you sail out._

"Wait… does that mean that once the monster is inside it will-"

 _"It will be able to open the gate over and over again, letting in more monsters each time after you leave."_

"W-We will be directly opening the way for the monsters to invade. This is more than just asking us to make things harder for the men here to survive. This is active sabotage."

 _"Even so, it is all you have. This will be your last chance. She has remained unaccepting of allowing any other escape attempts."_

"...If that's what it takes, then I will do it myself if need be. In five days, on the last night of the storm, we will open the gates to the monsters. And in exchange, we will receive our freedom."


	10. Chapter 9 - Precipitation

Chapter 9 - Precipitation

 _So we started off with a few small things. You know, gather some herbs, clean out a nest of monsters, easy things, though the monsters would sometimes give us trouble. Really, now that I know what I do from the library I'm surprised we weren't taken down in the first week, let alone the months upon months afterwards. What? Yeah, I went to the library. Was I not supposed to? Well, it's interesting. Hey, just because I was the Archer doesn't mean that I'm not supposed to be book smart. To tell you the truth, my brother, even though he was the magician, wasn't really all into that arcane stuff. He had a natural talent for magic, yeah, but he always tried to find the coolest spells. I'm the one who always had to point out what was poisonous, and what was safe to eat. But hey, we were adventurers! Real live adventurers. It was… I don't think I'll ever forget the times we had. And it was also about that time that I learned what tragedy was. Hm? No. It wasn't my own. It was a client's._

When the first bolt of thunder was heard, the populace momentarily feared for their lives. However they quickly realized that they were not, in fact, under attack but that the storm they had heard rumors of apparently approaching the island was now on their doorstep. It was only the calmness of the residents that kept those not native to the island from panicking en masse. Surprisingly, no storms had hit the city for a while, meaning that this was the first the visitors would see. To the great relief of the Council, they quickly followed the leads of the permanent residents and moved everything they owned off of the ground and up to a higher floor of their houses, or to their roof or a neighbor's house when that wasn't possible.

The first waves of the storm that hit were, in fact, tiny. Almost no different from the normal ones that crashed upon the immovable walls of the fortress every day. However, the difference was there. Soon, the waves became larger and larger, more turbulent as the rising winds pushed them to and fro as the sea fell into a frenzy. Even the monsters soon stopped approaching the surface after a few of them found that they could not control themselves in the chaotic waters, instead all opting to go deep under the sea where even the worst effects of the storm's arrival were nearly non-existent. Only a slight change in the currents signified that anything was amiss, and those under the sea slept silently.

However, just as some beings run for safety in the presence of danger, others may instead see opportunities. And this case was no different when concerning the monsters who did not let the presence of the storm deter them from entering the city. One of these such beings, a mermaid that the Headmaster would find very familiar having nearly burned the creature to a crisp but a short time ago, found itself heavily bruised as it fell back into the water.

Letting itself sink for a while as it regained its strength, it muttered to itself as it tried to figure out what had gone wrong.

"No, not high enough. And the wall is too smooth there too. Why didn't I try and scout it out before the storm made everything hard to see? Oh right, I'm an idiot. Ugh, okay. Okay. Oooohkay. I can do this."

It swam back up to the surface, not caring about being seen. After all, it and the rest of the younger monsters had all heard the speech that the older ones had given them. They said that few humans would be on the walls due to the dangers of being blown off the side by powerful winds, how the rain would keep them indoors and inhibit their sight, and how the humans were clearly just being babies that didn't like getting wet. Or rather, they didn't say that at all but that this particular monster had simply not listened. And so, instead of staying in the safety of the deep it had instead decided that the high waves actually brought the perfect opportunity to try and climb the walls.

However, though it lacked wisdom or experience, it was not stupid. The young mermaid _knew_ that it would not simply succeed on the first try. That it would get injured. And that it may never actually accomplish its goal. But it continued to try, again and again, despite that. And so its body was bruised and tired with nothing to show for it, yet swam to the surface once again. But this time, it felt something in the air. An intimidating but familiar feeling. And from behind it it felt a sudden current pushing it forwards, even though when its head turned it saw no one there. What was there, however, was a quickly growing wave. A wave far larger than all those that had come before it.

"M-Miss! You're… Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I'll make you proud."

But, even as it quickly swam to the tidal wave, using what little magic it could muster up to keep itself somewhat steady within the rising watery construct, it felt the traces of another emotion in the magic that had powered the creation of the wave.

Unlike humans, the magic cast by monsters was strongly affected by their emotional state at the time of the casting. The case was the same for humans, but the emotional component had an almost non-existent effect in all but the strongest spells or most overwhelming emotions. The stronger one's feelings, the stronger the effects could be. Emotions like love and concern gave their magic greater healing capabilities, those of excitement and panic made them be either cast more quickly or reveal their effects sooner than normal. However, since the arrival of the new Demon Lord the most common feeling was one of love and lust. Even when other emotions were present, sometimes being preferable for whatever the situation was, the feelings of love would often taint the purity of the spell which often led to unintended side effects. Such as increased feelings of love and lust in the user, which caused a cascade effect, and which could easily be called addictive to those both casting and being hit by the spell. Which was why the mermaid, who had up until then been exposed to spells containing almost nothing _but_ love and lust, was almost frozen by the emotions that the wave held.

A mix of disgust and hatred. Hatred that neared being completely _malicious_ almost oozed out of the traces of magic that the wave still held. It was something that the mermaid had never felt before. There was still the trace of love inside it, but if there was lust it was completely overshadowed by the dark feelings that the magic contained. For a moment, she wondered just what the fortress had done to the leader of the siege. What had happened that caused her to feel such enormous hatred? Hatred that overcame the very biological instincts of nearly unconditional love and lust that the current Demon Lord had bestowed upon them?

It hesitated for but a second, almost deciding that it did not in fact want to learn, but it instead decided to continue onwards as thoughts rose unbidden from the depths of her mind. Never spoken to her or thought about before, but still rising through her head like they had been there since birth. If humans could harbour darkness inside of them, so much that it could hurt even the strongest of the monsters gathered, then she would show them that there was another way. She would bring happiness to the humans, as well as the rest of the monsters. She would show them love, and they would love her back.

So caught up in its inner frenzy, the mermaid almost missed the fact that the wave was almost reaching the walls. The walls that, even now, still were above both her and the wave. It was only now, now that it was just so _high_ above the sea, that the creature really appreciated the sheer size of the fortress's fortification. It wondered how the humans had ever created such things. But even as those thoughts raced through its head it knew that this was its chance. A slight decorative outcropping near the top, right underneath the parapets, was something that could act as a handhold.

And so, just as the wave neared the wall the mermaid's tail began moving up and down to propel itself forwards up before leaping straight out of the wave at the apex of its rise, the force that it and by extension she was moving being great enough that if she had not left the wave and instead crashed into the wall with it her body simply would not have been able to handle it and she would have nigh instantly died.

"Y-Yes. Yes! I did it!"

With an almost manic look on her face as the adrenaline and feeling of success swept through her tired and pained body, she held onto the small outcropping for her life. But she did not stop there. Ever so slowly, her tail brought itself up to rest against the wall, giving her just enough leverage to push her torso above the outcropping. Just enough for her to reach the edge of the parapet.

Down below, unseen, two pairs of eyes, a shark and scylla, looked up in awe at the sight of the girl, younger than both of them, doing something they thought suicidal with a smile on her face. Reaching the dream that they had had themselves for so long. And as they watched as she was barely able to pull herself above the side of the wall, her tail disappearing over the side as she collapsed to the raised wall walkway, no longer in sight, they sank back into the ocean, thoughts of trying to do the same as the brave mermaid burning themselves into their minds.

However the thoughts and actions of those far below were of no concern to the young mermaid, as it could only think of the near future while its mind remained clouded by the thoughts of the imminent conquest and physical gratification it would soon receive.

Looking around, it spotted a large tower, only visible from the inside during the storm as the window leading out had been boarded off, making the torchlight shining from inside only visible from the city proper and from on the wall itself. And like a moth all of her senses were drawn to the light, and with it the promise of people. And of the one she was destined to be with.

"Hey, that was a loud wave, wasn't it? Should we go check it out?" One guard asked the other.

The two were relaxing in one of the guard towers. Only eight guards were stationed on the walls in total during the storm, with two of them in each of the towers furthest north, south, east, and west. There could easily have been more, but the guards knew that it wasn't manpower that was the problem. The fact of the matter was that even if every single guard was patrolling the walls during the storm, it wouldn't make a difference and would probably make things worse. The lack of visibility meant that if anyone or anything was approaching the city from the sea no one would be able to see it anyway, and the dangerous conditions on the wall meant that even if there were lots of people up there patrolling, getting caught by a sudden powerful gust of wind without being physically tied down would be a death sentence.

And so, the two guards were alone, and with the inside of the tower being dry and the light from their torch making it easy to see they weren't feeling stressed, or scared. They were simply bored. So the sound of an unnaturally powerful wave quickly drew their attention from their card game.

"Hm, you know, I think we probably should. I mean, I don't really _think_ there's gonna be any damage, but if something was brought with the wave, who knows what could have happened."

"...Wow."

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Well, I didn't actually expect you to say yes at all, let alone give a reasonable answer."

"Wait, what? What do you think I'm li-"However, before their banter could continue, the one of the doors rattled. Both looked at it, and then to each other.

In an instant, the doors burst open, the relatively flimsy piece of wood slamming against the stone wall and a loud crack coming from it as it presumably splintered. At the same time, a light green and pink blur slammed into one of the guards, knocking him to the ground as the other only watched, still a bit too stunned to move until the figure began to speak.

"Hey there handsome! You… Oh, I bet you're him, aren't you? You're the one I've been waiting for all this time!" As it speaks, the monster's mouth begins to drool, and in his pinned position the man finds himself unable to reach his sword, it being pinned underneath the mermaid's large tail, as it eyes him up and down like a piece of particularly tasty produce at the marketplace. Even as he tried to push the creature off of him, its hands snaked out and grabbed at his arms with its grip as strong as the iron bars of the prison making him unable to move.

"DAMMIT! GET OFF OF ME!" he cried out, but his words didn't seem to have any effect on the ravenous beast. However, they were enough to get his companion out of his funk, and he slowly and quietly approached the mermaid from behind.

"Don't worry. I'll treat you well. I know one of the sea priests personally, so we can get first in line! You're going to be mine. F-" its speech suddenly stopped in mid sentence, and for a moment the mermaid couldn't understand why it had fallen silent.

Then, as its head slowly dropped forward to look at the spot on her chest that had suddenly started to hurt, the pain somehow dulled by the emotional high she was just in, she noticed the head of a sword sticking nearly a foot out of her.

"W-w-what? What is thi- GAHHHH" With a quick pull, the blade came back out the way it had entered, her ribcage seemingly having not helped protect her from the piercing strike from behind, and she began screaming in pain as her brain finally started to register what had just happened.

And with another slash, the guard that stood behind her with his blood coated sword raised high swung down once more.

And this time, he aimed for the neck.

Week 10

Though the new day, and with it the beginning of a new week, had come, underneath the heavy clouds and incessant rain the fact that it was morning was impossible to see. It was well known, by those with any knowledge about the inner workings of how the fortress worked at all, that though the heavy rain of a storm like this would have a chance of flooding much of the enclosed city, the Demon Lord who had created it had set up a special system that vented the water into an incredibly complex micro dimension. However, due to the inherently incredible costs of both creating and maintaining such a construct, as well as the further difficulty that came with making sure it covered and meshed well with the entire island, he had set it up in such a way that while it still took a monstrous amount of energy, even for a being as powerful as he, the actual costs that it took to keep the pocket running was so weak that it could be run on the energy of the ambient monsters.

It was very simple, overall. There were hundreds of tiny entrances, those being the many small vents that let water and other debris pass through them, that the rainwater would enter but never leave. The rest of the waste would continue through, but the rain would instead enter the pocket dimension. For the exits, there were only two, with one being a location one hundred meters into the air and two hundred meters away from the wall. The second was a large reservoir that would collect the rainwater for use by the townspeople. Furthermore, the device could only hold water and microorganisms, but since the rain washed most of the bacteria away the water gathered was often used as drinking water. Unfortunately, it wouldn't last forever, as the pocket dimension was powered by both ambient demonic energy and the very water that lay inside it, which it would consume as energy to power itself. The more water it contained, the higher its consumption, but it would always slowly be losing water, hence the need for the evaporation gathering system they used on the sea water.

But all those concerns were secondary at the moment. For right there and then, a matter of far more importance was being discussed by the Council.

"A monster. Thrown up over the walls by a wave. I didn't think it was even possible!" The Quartermaster said, astonishment clear in both his face and tone. The sentiment was shared among those sitting around the table. The idea of being able to go over the walls… Was ludicrous. Yet they could not deny what had happened.

"Heh. Too bad no fish got thrown over instead." The Dockmaster chuckled. "Might solve our food problems."

This reminder of the always dropping level of food, constantly in the back of their minds yet never often voiced out loud, sent a sullen mood across the gathered city leaders.

However, the bad news had not yet finished rearing its head, as the Doctor soon had to make an announcement.

"We've lost nine people these past few days to sickness. We… We didn't even realize what was happening until one of the patients complained about the cold. I can scarcely believe it myself. I've had some of the idle townspeople help move the sick closer to the Heat Crystals, but they've already gotten worse. I'd suggest turning up the heat for them as soon as possible. The whole island is a whole damned lot colder than it should be. And I'm sorry to have to say this though, but with the cold and wet weather we're having, as well as the moisture getting everywhere, I'm worried that more cases are going to be popping up."

"Hold on Doctor," The Captain quickly spoke before the man could continue, "I know where you're going with this. I can have some of my men visit the households, but with this weather they're going to be just as vulnerable to the cold and wetness as your patients. Moreso, really, since they'll need to walk around outside to check up on everyone."

As he finished, the Mayor stood up and smiled at the group. "Well, we've already gone through the food distribution during the storm at the start, and I've gone over each of your concerns as well. I think that we can safely call this meeting over. I'll leave you to your own devices. I hope you'll stay home as much as possible. It's not going to get any warmer."

However, just as they began leaving, he spoke up once more, a blank look on his face.

"Sorry, I had forgotten one thing. The one in charge of food and the one in charge of storing it. I'll need to talk to you. Ah, and you should probably stay as well old friend. The rest of you can go."

The Baker, Quartermaster, and Headmaster looked to him in surprise, but he waited until the rest had all filed out of the room before he spoke again.

"I need your assistance. All three of you. You may disagree with me, but, I think I know a way to keep us alive a little bit longer…"


	11. Chapter 10 - Rainfall

Chapter 10 - Rainfall

 _Mmm. We were on a quest to find a young girl who had gone missing on the outskirts of town. People always told their children to stay away, but I guess the threat of danger just made things more exciting for the brats. We went over, investigated for a bit, and then I was able to track the girl down. Yeah, turns out she fell into the hands of a monster. Oh, I think it may have been a werewolf. Whatever, fact of the matter was that she wasn't a little girl anymore. We could easily see the way her eyes scanned the small den and zeroed in on each of us, the way her limbs twitched as she seemed to try and restrain herself from leaping at us. Oh, and the new ears and claws helped too. But yeah, we killed both the original werewolf and the new one. Burned 'em both. Oh, don't give me that look, you know why I did it. Anyway, we had to tell the mother what her daughter ended up as. And that's when it happened. That very moment I saw her break down. The despair and misery on her face. The tragedy of the situation. It… It really stuck with me. I just can't get it out of my mind. Yeah, that's when it first hit me. When it opened my eyes to see the world like you do miss "princess". When I saw how beautiful tragedy was, and how I wanted to see it again. How I wanted to experience it for myself._

As the downpour continued, the citizens could almost find it humorous that despite the constant sound of the rain hitting their roofs and stone pathways, they had sort of gotten used to the loud noise. Not in any comforting way of course, as when the family heads needed to head to the Mayor's tower to get their day's rations they had to do so while getting soaked to the bone, and the downpour meant that the entire, or multiple in some cases, family would be stuck indoors. The only ones that had any reason to go outside were those who were struggling to keep farming the algae, and even then their gains were limited by the fact that without the sun to provide light the alternative food source really little opportunity to grow. Plus, the whole area had to be covered up by a makeshift tent and each pool by a thrown together tarp, less the rain and wind wash away the leftover algae.

But despite the harsh conditions outside, the Council was in high spirits. For even as those outside toiled in the rain the Quartermaster brought in a large tray with a metal bowl placed on top of it. In that instant, all of the gathered Council members felt a surge of glee run through them.

"Quartermaster…" the Botanist began, "That smell, is it fish? But how? It smells freshly cooked! I thought all we had left was the small amount of heavily preserved ones."

The Quartermaster remained silent, but a small grin grew on his lips as he quietly placed the large try in the middle of the table. And with a flourish not a moment later, he lifted the lid to reveal the tail a large well cooked fish. It even a small bit of parsley on top, though the group ignored its shriveled appearance. Instead, nearly all of them looked at it with undisguised hunger. Even the Quartermaster, who was trying his best to not show emotion and had known about it in the first place, still had his eyes light up at the sight.

The Mayor rose from his seat, a large and welcoming smile on his face.

"Now I know what some of you are thinking. Where on earth did this thing come from? Well, the truth is that you seem to have predicted the future quite well. One of the guards was smashed in the face by this thing after an abnormally large wave swept against the city fortress. Almost knocked him off the wall in fact. And don't worry, I know what else you're thinking. Why are we getting some while the rest of the population does not?" At that, a few of the Council members seemed to pause as they realized they had not been thinking of such things. "Do not worry though. There is a reason we have only the tail here. The rest has already been removed and prepared for the citizens. Everyone gets some."

And with that, the Botanist and Doctor's eyes both lit up and with a small fork the Quartermaster had laid out previously they ripped a big chunk out of the large fish tail and placed it on their plates. Though the amount they took seemed large, the whole thing being nearly as tall as the Botanist herself, and they both quickly popped large pieces of the thing into their mouths. As if their feasting was a signal, most of the others at the table followed suit and soon everyone was talking merrily.

Except for two of them, a fact which the others quickly noticed.

"Hey moneybags, why don't you take some? It's good!" However, at the Botanist's question the man simply turned away and sneered.

"If you must know, I'm a vegetarian. I've only been having algae and the soldier's emergency rations rather than fish."

The Captain sputtered for a moment at the news. "W-wait. You've been eating the emergency rations? That stuff tastes like cardboard. But worse! And hey, what about you chef? You ain't got any on your plate either! Here, let me give you so-"

The Baker instead quickly waved his hands, his face slightly blanched. "No, no. I had some earlier. And please, don't call me a chef. I-I might have helped prepare the, uh, food but I'm really not much of a cook. I do bread."

"Nonsense," said the Dockmaster, "you may have followed my instructions but you were the one to cook this baby. You're a certified chef in my eyes."

Everyone but the Accountant, still stewing in his seat, and the Baker laughed in agreement. It was truly a joyous day.

And because of this, the slight angry glint in the Baker's eyes went unnoticed.

Over the next twenty minutes, the size of the fish slowly shrank as the group ate more and more of it. But even the ten, or eight rather, of them were not enough to eat the whole thing. Instead, it was wrapped up and brought downstairs as the group relaxed in contented bliss. This small sense of peace was quickly broken, however, as The Mayor rose from his seat with a blank look on his face. What had happened, the slow downturn of the Quartermaster's and Headmaster's mouths into small frowns only compounded this ominous feeling. The Dockmaster was the first to finally notice what felt wrong about the situation. And what he saw made him feel quite foolish for not seeing it before.

"Sir… I was so caught up in my excitement that I hadn't really noticed. But what fish is this? The scale pattern and fin placement is not from any that I recognize. Is it from the deep sea?"

The Mayor stayed silent for a few seconds, but his next words confused the group.

"Just over twenty four hours ago, a monster was able to breach the walls by utilizing an unnaturally large wave. There was no structural damage, and no casualties." The Captain's eyes suddenly widened as if realizing something, but The Mayor simply continued speaking.

"The monster was almost able to subdue a guard, but in the end it was slain. The monster was, in fact, a mermaid. Half of its body has been incinerated, and-"

"And the other half was 'processed', wasn't it." The Captain said as his eyes closed, a dark look on his face.

The Accountant, despite or possibly because he had not partaken in the meal, blurted out what he just realized had happened. "The fish that was being eaten. It wasn't an actual fish was it! You… The others have been eating a _monster!_ "

The moment these words left his mouth, an uproar broke out among the Council members, some confused, some enraged by the deception, and some scared for their lives after eating what the meat of a being that was considered to be 'corrupted' by the Order and for good reason at that.

"We ate a monster? What? WHY? WE DIDN'T NEED TO!"

"I can't believe you would lie to us about this. We deserved to know!"

"Oh my god, I just ate a monster. I-I'm going to be corrupted. I'm going to turn into a mindless beast! WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS TO US?"

 **"SILENCE!"** The Mayor roared. Immediately, the entire group fell silent at the blast of noise, while The Mayor quietly hoped that the sound of his shout had not echoed out of the tower and scared the masses again.

"Look," he said, "the fact of the matter is that we don't have an infinite supply of food. If we continue on the path we're going on, people are going to _starve to death_ , and I won't let that happen."

The Baker, who some had started to realize must have been in on the plan at some point, spoke up once more. However, this time he seemed accusatory, revealing his true thoughts on The Mayor's actions.

"You will do anything? Even if it means lying and hurting your own people? I… I don't think I can approve of such actions."

The Mayor's head dropped, shame clearly on his features, but his voice still rang out strong in the small room.

"I had the Headmaster check over the body before we even began cooking it. The power of God has rendered the Demonic Energy inert. Unless someone decides to inject Demonic Energy directly into their bloodstream, any form of monsterization or other corruption will not occur under God's eye. Something relatively benign like consuming their flesh will not affect us."

Without warning, someone's fist snaked out, impacting The Mayor's face. And to the astonishment of all, the Assistant stood there, cradling his fist even as tears ran down his face and he began to speak. "I… I trust you. If that's what you say, then I'll take it as the truth. But I don't _care_ if it's the truth. All I care about is the fact that you hid it from us. From ME! I've stood by your side all my life since you took me in, so why couldn't you tell me beforehand? Sir, I'd walk straight into the heart of the Demon Lands for you. But I would still expect that you'd tell me _why_. If we have to take drastic action in the future to ensure that we all live another day, I'll be right behind you the whole time. But I refuse to be left in the darkness."

The Mayor listened to the man, or boy really when surrounded by all the accomplished people around him, with slowly widening eyes, before tears started to gather that he quickly wiped away.

"...You're right. I should not have hidden it from you. And from now on I won't hide things from you. That goes for the rest of you too," at this he turned to face the Council with a determined look in his eyes, "I won't be leaving you in the dark. I've looked through the records of old. Man has eaten the flesh of monsters in the past, before the rise of the current Demon Lord, and faced no problems. In fact, some cultures even apparently subsisted almost entirely on the stuff. So I'll say it now. If we want to get through the future, we'll need to do the same. No, I won't force us to eat the bits that look… Well, human. But the rest of it is just as edible as any other animal. And soon we'll need to reveal this to the public. And despite my earlier statement, I'll have to ask you to keep it on the down low until we can completely inform everyone of why this practice will be safe. We don't want another riot on our hands."

At that, the Council slowly nodded. Things were not perfect, no, but the small bit of closure they had been given for the situation was nice. And they knew that if things continued to worsen, then they would certainly go to far greater lengths to keep themselves and the rest of the people on the island alive. So while some still disagreed, they would move on.

They also tried to ignore the fact that the Accountant was acting unreasonably smug, not having taken part in the eating of the monster's flesh in the first place and so had been relatively calm the whole time.

Hours later, after the meeting had adjourned, the guards continued to stay at their posts. The news of the monster attack had spread through the ranks, but their Captain had impressed on them the need for secrecy. And so the men spent the night keeping a close lookout, but with the lights of their towers off. If anything happened, they would instead set off a special magical flare. There were few in the town, but this circumstance called for them to be brought out. If any of them saw a monster, the resident mages would be alerted and the guard could be gathered to combat the intruder.

However, these things were completely unknown to the wider masses who lived deep in the ocean. Unknown to a particular mershark and scylla who had finally made a decision on what to do.

"Come on, you have to finish your note! I don't want the others to worry about us when we suddenly go missing." The mershark said, waving a small piece of seaweed around, a small bit of writing clearly visible on it.

"Come on, don't rush me. You know we might fail, right? Who knows what could happen." Sharply contrasting the mershark's hurried disposition, the scylla calmly and quietly continued to write on its long strip of seaweed, nearly two feet of it covered in small script.

"Pfft. I'll tell you what's probably happening. The chick who went over yesterday is probably getting all the humans to herself! That ain't fair at all. So we gotta get some of them too before anyone else can."

The mershark began swinging its tail from side to side in impatience, eyes flickering to the entrance of the small cave they were both in, hidden from view of the other monsters in the area. It wasn't that it was scared of them, but instead it knew that the others would try and stop the two if they found out their plan. And for good reason too, since the pair themselves knew that what they were doing was foolhardy. But they would not be swayed from their self-imposed mission.

"And… there. I'm done. Now, I'll head up to the surface while you go bring these back home alright?" At the mershark's nod, the scylla turned and began swimming to the surface, its tentacles propelling it quickly through the ocean, while the mershark turned towards the darker depths of the sea where the pair lived with the two packages awkwardly hidden underneath its armpits, its powerful tail doing all of the work in moving the monster through the water.

A few of the other monsters it passed by looked at it strangely at the sight of the mershark swimming with its arms clamped firmly against its sides. However, they didn't seem to find enough motivation to actually question or even stop their fellow monster if they had even been suspicious in the first place. And so the mershark was able to make it all the way back to its safely. However, just before it could place the letters where they normally slept a sudden presence behind the mershark made it spin around in shock.

"Well. This is interesting. Now, what do have in your hands?"

"M-Miss leader?"

The scylla continued to float near the surface, staying just below where the waves really started to churn the water to avoid getting caught up in the chaotic storm above, as it waited for its friend to finally come back. They saw how the mermaid had gotten up, but they had also seen just how close it had gotten to failing. If the two worked together, they would have a much better chance of succeeding.

"Man oh man, where is she?" the scylla muttered to itself. It had been floating around in one place for far longer than it had suspected it would be. If too many monsters saw it then someone was going to get suspicious eventually. It pondered that maybe going back to the hidey-hole to wait may have been a better idea.

"Hey!"

"GAH!" the scylla flipped over, scrambling at nothing after hearing the voice come up behind it. A moment later it realized that the owner of the voice was its mershark friend and calmed down considerably.

"What was that for? You scared me half to death! And why do you look so giddy all of a sudden?"

"The boss found out! And she said that as long as we didn't tell anyone, she'd help us!" At that, the scylla blinked in stunned silence. It had heard of the rumors before. The ones on how unlike the rest of the mamono the boss had a powerful hatred inside it for the humans. Especially when they talked about the boss of the humans that lived on the island. That it would help them now was… strange to say the least. But that didn't mean the scylla wouldn't take the hand out. They needed all the help they could get.

"Alright then. Let's get up there. We have a signal for when she'll start helping us?"

"Eh, I dunno. She just asked me what we were gonna do and said that she'd get us up there when we asked."

"Well, I guess it's better than nothing."

With that said the scylla swam behind the mershark and held tightly onto its waist, and moments later the shark shot forwards towards the surface with its new package in tow. Blasting above the water, the two flew through the air for a few moments, trying to get their bearings before a large wave crashed into them and sent them back into the sea.

"Ow. That hurt. A _lot_. How did she do this so many times?"

"Ugh, I dunno, maybe she just stopped feeling pain after a while. A bajillion tons of water coming down on my head isn't something I want to repeat."

"Right, one more time, let's see if we can get that help we were promised. Uh, she did promise, right?"

"Well it was more like she laughed and sorta implied she would help. But that's still good enough, ain't it?"

"Let's… Let's just try again."

And so the pair once more dashed towards the surface. But even as they rose, they felt something powerful in the currents around them, and they instantly knew that this was the power of their leader. The mershark instinctively began to follow the path that was being weaved before it, its speed increasing dramatically even as the water slowly picked up momentum to become a progressively larger and larger wave as time went on. And finally, they felt the traces of emotion that lay in the magic that was propelling the wave forward.

It was a sort of amused satisfaction mixed with disgust and contempt. With the fact that they could only feel the emotions and not anything like who they were aimed at neither could tell, as they moved through the giant water construct, if their leader's feelings were aimed at the people of the city, or a specific person. Maybe it was even aimed towards the fortress itself? Whatever the case, there was nothing they could do about it. The two quickly realized that at the speed they were going if they tried to leave the wave they could be seriously hurt. And so, as the wave approached the wall, still falling short of going over the top, the mershark took a deep breath and launched itself out of the wave just as the wave started to drop in height with the few remnants of the magic holding it up fading away into nothingness.

"NOW! GRAB IT!" The scylla, hands occupied with holding onto its friend for dear life, shot out its tentacles to latch onto the small decorative piece that hung off the top of the wall, and using its immense lower body strength it swung both the mershark it was holding and itself onto the wall. It steadied itself for a moment, slightly out of breath from the sheer adrenaline of the actions it had taken, before a small giggle escaped from its lips. Moments later, the mershark followed suit.

"Ahaha I can't believe we actually made it."

"I… Thank the Demon Lord we're alive."

"Oy, thank the boss too! I mean, it was a little rough, but she never said it wouldn't be!"

"Mmm, I guess you're right. Now, this storm is only gonna last like a day or two more, right? So we should get going."

"Heck yeah. Just stay behind me, alright? You might be able to get a grip now that we're not touching the outer walls, but I'm still the tough one of the two of us."

Maybe, had they not stayed outside in the open for so long, they could have infiltrated the fortress successfully. But they took their time, and because of that, they were stunned by the door a bit away from them suddenly slamming open with a small flare being suddenly lit and launched into the air, a guard already having drawn his sword and another behind him.

"STOP RIGHT THERE BEAST!"

The two monsters looked at each other before the mershark picked up the scylla and quickly sprung away from the wall and towards a small set of stairs on the side. It was a bit of a tight fit for the large-tailed mamono, but it wasn't staying on for long anyways, and threw itself onto a roof as it slithered away.

"Oh man oh man oh man, we're gonna get caught! And then we'll never find-"

"Shut up and let me figure out where I'm runnin'! Uh, er, there! That house! Someone's in there! We can hide, and maybe we can, you know, do the thing?"

"Oh! Yes, I mean, if worst comes to worst they can be hostages or something too!"

"Wow, that's uh, pretty dark. But I guess so?"

"Shut up and slither!"

The two quickly made their way from rooftop to rooftop, them barely holding the pairs weight, but the heavy rain made it hard for the guards who had begun to run after them to see them against the dark backdrop. But one man in particular, whose attention had been grabbed by the flare and whose eyes were far better than the guards', noticed the movement of the two into a house, and quickly began moving towards it.

"Okay, put your hands up where we can see them!" The mershark yelled. Instantly, the young woman and husband spun towards the now open window, and they both were stunned by the sudden appearance of not one, but two monsters in their home.

With a small flourish of its tail, the mershark slammed the window shutter closed behind it as it moved its way into the small home, and the scylla quickly untangled itself from the more powerful monster's grip.

"Hey, I called first dibs, remember?"

"Wait, what? Oh, dammit, I guess ya did. Fine then. Pick which one you want."

The scylla started to move towards the man, a burning look arising in its eyes and its many legs quickly propelled it forwards even as the mershark made a small disgruntled noise and headed towards the woman.

"Hey there sweetie, looks like my friend is gonna take her time with lover-boy over there, so until she's done I'm gonna have some fun with you alright?"

"W-What? No! Stay away from me."

"Oh, come now, don't worry, I'm sure you're going to start loving this. Just let it hap-" However, before the mershark could continue, a sharp scream pulled her eyes away from the young woman she was approaching.

"AHGHAHHHHHH" To the mershark's horror, it could only watch as the man it had thought would fall peacefully had instead somehow pulled out a knife and had plunged it into the stomach of the scylla sending it reeling over onto its back as it tried to pull out the small blade.

"TAKE THAT YOU BEAST." The man's words snapped the mershark out of its funk, and the primal part of its brain quickly came to the forefront and it brandished the small fins on the sides of its arms in a combat stance. And even as the woman realized what was about to happen, she couldn't shout out a warning as the mershark shot forwards and caught the man's torso with the side of its fin, launching him into a wall where a large cracking noise resounded through the house. He didn't get up, and the mershark used this moment of peace to quickly check on its friend who was whimpering on the ground in pain.

"I-I… It hurts so much. Please, I don't want to die. I don't want to diiiieee!" The monster cried out as a small pool of blood began gathering around it.

"No, no, you're gonna be okay. I brought some ointment, it'll sting for a while but you're gonna be okay. I just need to get you somewhere you can rest. Then we'll… I don't know, but I'll think of something. Your big sis ain't leaving you here, you hear me?"

The scylla stilled at those words before a small smile grew on its lips.

"Y-yeah. We're gonna find husbands. We're gonna find husbands and fall in love with them and we'll never be sad or lonely again. Y-" However, before she could continue, the door to the room burst open, and a figure strode inside as its head quickly turned to and fro as it looked around the wrecked house.

"Hmm. I really didn't expect this today. But that doesn't mean I can't stop your plans, monster. Heh, no matter how much these old bones are aching." The young woman, tears in her eyes in both despair at the young man's state and her joy in seeing the older enter the building, started laughing in relief at his presence.

"M-Mayor! You're here! Thank you God, thank you for sending him…" She grabbed something around her neck, clenching it tightly as she spoke, but the mershark only stared at him in rage.

"No. No way am I letting you take her! We're gonna find true happiness. And you aren't gonna be able to stop us, you hear me?" Taking another stance, the mershark once again brought up its fins, hoping to try and knock the man down and then escape with its friend to safety.

The last thing it saw was the man seeming to blur towards it and the scylla on the ground, moving too fast for its eyes to see.

"No, I'm up for any other negotiation. No matter what they are, as long as me and my people can get off of this island safely." The hooded man repeated to his followers and the glowing sphere.

 _"I do not understand why you have suddenly become so much more open, but the water dragon has agreed to bring greater assistance. As well as some information you may not yet be aware of. She has stated that as of five seconds ago two young and naiive mamono were able to ride a wave up to the walls without permission, just as the one from before did in an attempt to replicate her feat. She stated that she saw what was happening, but by the time she had realized that they may actually succeed it was already too late. She could not stop them."_

"W-What? No! She needs to get them out of here! A monster has already been slain, and what they had me do was… I can't let them continue this. Please, I will do anything."

 _"We cannot say we understand, with your reluctance to tell us, but we will communicate with her as soon as possible. We will see what assistance she may provide for your escape, but know that her reluctance to assist any more than necessary is keeping us from getting too much from her. The costs may be high."_

"It… It is fine," the robed figure said as he slowly pulled his hood off and stared directly into the light, letting those on the other side see his face as clear as if in the midday sun.

"I am willing to do anything to get off this island. I will protect my people." The Baker stated, the dark glint in his eyes growing ever more determined as he continued to plan out his escape. Nothing would stop him. Even if he had to ruin the very fortress itself to get away from the madman who forced him to butcher an innocent monster, only to feed on its corpse.

He knew that despite what the Order proclaimed, the true monsters were those in this fortress. And like The Mayor always said, what's a few monsters' lives compared to those of a human's?


	12. Chapter 11 - Tidal Wave

Chapter 11 - Tidal Wave

 _Now, I never actually acted on it. Not obviously anyway. It was just something in the back of my mind. Something that was an idle distraction at most when there wasn't anything else to think about. So I didn't really ever obsess over it. Instead, I just looked forwards and stayed with my team. I knew that the thoughts running through my mind were wrong. You know it too. We're not supposed to think like this. Yeah, can't exactly just change it, so what're you gonna do? Well I just pretended that I didn't have any thoughts of it. Pushed something else to the forefront of my mind instead. Yeah, him. Our front liner, our protector, our swordsman, our leader, whatever you wanna call him. Plus, there were only three of us and I knew he already liked me. And I knew that I had already liked him. So I thought 'why not?' and just went for it. A night of passion, confessions, and happiness, and we were officially together. I fell in love that night. No. Not from the pleasure. From him. From his bright smile in the morning, his calm attitude even under stress, his willingness to put others before himself, and just everything about him. Yes. I could live with that. Why? Because I'm not like you. I don't need that the way you do. No, I don't want to explain any further. Yes really. Look, let's just take a break. I'll keep telling you my story later, but I'm not going to talk about that kind of thing anymore._

The storm had been going on for five days. Five days of constant rain filling the ears of everyone in the city, strong winds blowing things around and knocking over the remains of the burned houses, and powerful waves constantly crashing against the giant stone walls. However, there were five people outside who were happy with the weather. Happy about the fact that their actions, with everyone either inside or whose vision was mostly obstructed by the dark and the rain, would remain unseen throughout the rest of the night.

"Hey, be careful with that." One hooded man aid to another, both shivering while being soaked by the pouring rain. Each was carrying a small barrel as they walked down the road, and the one in front had almost tripped and dropped it which was something that both were very scared of doing.

"Yeah. Phew. That was… That was close. If I had dropped that then we would have… Well…"

"Actually, no we wouldn't have died."

"Wait, really? But this is Blast Powder. Doesn't it, you know, make a big blast?"

"Only if you set it on fire, and even then it doesn't really get its oomph until you add in the catalyst."

"Oh. Well that's actually a bit disappointing."

"...Let's just get these to the docks."

The two didn't know exactly where their leader had gotten all of the Blast Powder from. Was it in the fortress the whole time in these barrels, hidden from the eyes of the guards and civilians alike? Did he gather it from everything he could find that used it? Or did he take it directly from the storehouse out from under the noses of the Captain and the Quartermaster themselves? Whatever the case, they knew that the powder inside of these barrels were all of the stuff that was left. They wouldn't get a second chance.

And so, the two continued down the road unnoticed before finally making it to the docks and quietly heading through the gaping hole that remained of the entranceway, the doors not having been repaired or replaced since the riot so many weeks ago. Soon, they had arrived near the gate and quietly placed the barrels near the hinges. What they were doing… attempting to lodge the doors open to let the monsters flood in after they had left by destroying the closing mechanism wasn't something they were happy doing. The two men were of the opinion that Man and Monster could get along. Could live in harmony, if both groups tried. But they knew that few of the monsters were of the same mind, or at least not in the same way. And they knew that despite the messages of love and coexistence that the monsters would preach there were those among them that felt things like jealousy, rage, and hatred just as humans could. Expressed in the same way? No, for all the monsters looked to humans as something to be treasured, and who treasured life themselves. They would never intentionally kill out of malice. But they would hurt others to get what they wanted. And so the two tried to keep the knowledge that they would be helping to hurt mamono out of their minds, as the explosion would definitely hurt them. Not severely, their leader was not so callous as to throw away the lives of its people, but enough that they would hurt. Possibly for a very long time.

The way they were going to do it was simple, and as they threw a large tarp over each one they pulled the fuse wire away from the docking area and made sure it remained unseen. It would be of no use, in just an hour or two from now, if the guards who would inevitably chase after them were able to stop this part of the plan by simply cutting the obvious fuse off or throwing water onto it. Well, if it happened then the two men knew that they wouldn't feel bad since they were only doing it as part of the deal their boss had made in the first place.

"Got my side done. You got yours?"

"Yep, lemme just… there we go. That was all we needed to do, right?"

"I think so, just put the barrels up and then, oh, right. Oh, right! Yeah, we gotta place those crystals inside, right? Put the weird ones with the blue markings at the end facing away from the gate?"

"Dammit, yeah. How did we forget? And, uh, what are these things? I had to keep watch outside, so I didn't really hear that part."

"Well, I don't know. Even the Hakutaku apparently weren't aware of what they were. All I know is that they're supposed to be able to direct the blast. S'why it won't hurt the mamono already inside, and have the gates take the entire explosion."

"Oh. Man, wonder why we've never heard of them before?"

"I think it might be a leftover from the Demon Lord who used to live here, who was experimenting with them. But, that was a weird place to get them."

"Hmm? How so? Oh, and my crystal is in now, and the lid is sealed back up."

"Alright, let's head back then. And what I mean is, we got them both from the basement of this one house in the south side. Whole place seemed to have been abandoned for years, and we found them both wrapped in this paper stuff. Seemed like some kind of badly made talisman."

"Really? Huh, that is weird. Were you able to figure out who lived there?"

"Nah," the man said, both of them climbing up the stairs now, nearing the exit where they'd need to start being quiet again, "all we could tell was some kind of fletcher lived there or maybe just worked there or something. Didn't really have time to look through it to get any specifics."

"Oh. Guess it doesn't really matter in the end."

"No, suppose not. Ugh, I hate the rain."

"Yeah, let's just go back. There's like an hour left before we start, so let's get some rations before we leave."

With that, the two began walking back the way they came. And, just as they had hoped, no one questioned them or wondered what they were doing, caught up in their own hunger and misery during the storm.

Down near the medical area, where the Doctor was going over patients, The Mayor and his Assistant sat silently, a sad look on the Assistant's face.

"You should not have hidden it from us. You know you're only going to make it worse."

"Sir, I'm sorry, but I wanted to help. I know I have no talent for things like fighting or magic, so this was the only thing I could do. And the last thing I want is become a burden for you and the rest of the city."

"Even so, I personally do not wish to see yourself running your body and mind into the ground." The Mayor gave him a sad smile, but his Assistant only shook his head with a large frown showing his disagreement.

"Sorry sir, but logically I should be spending all of my energy towards the survival of the city."

"Well, _logically_ you should be pacing yourself so you don't end up like a burden in the first place. If you felt overstressed, then you should have told me. Really, the only reason I hadn't had you confined to bed was because you kept saying you were fine. I should stop underestimating you." He said the last bit with a small smirk, and though the Assistant gave out a small huff he gave The Mayor one of his own smiles in return.

"I suppose you're right. I'll get some rest. But, uh, there is a seperate room I can stay, right? I don't really want to catch what they all have." He looked nervously at the group of sick citizens, but he was relieved when The Mayor shook his head.

"No, you've had your sickness your whole life. It's genetic only, and doesn't show up unless you're under a lot of stress. You're not going to be around those whose illnesses are contagious. I can only imagine what it would do to you in your state." The Mayor's Assistant grimaced at that. He knew that with how he always became more vulnerable to disease when it resurfaced, and that the effects always seemed to be worse than when they afflicted others. Normally, they could get medicine from the mainland shipped over, but in the current situation that was infeasible.

"Well, I guess I'll go take a nap then. I really can't do much else. And don't worry sir, I'll get better as soon as possible."

"Ha, I don't doubt you will. Let's hope that body of yours puts its effort into-"

Just as The Mayor was standing up to leave, a guard burst into the room with a panicked look on his face.

"SIR! WE HAVE A PROBLEM!"

"Dammit. I'll be back later, okay? Right. Guard, lead the way and tell me what happened while we go there.

"Yes sir!"

With that, the pair dashed out of the room and the Assistant could only watch nervously as his leader once again ran into danger.

"And they barricaded the way down. We don't know what they're hiding back there, but we decided to get you and the Captain as quickly as we could." The guard finished just as the two of them arrived at the entrance to the western docks.

The Mayor began stewing over the information he had been given. A large group of men and women had been spotted moving down the street, the guard who had spotted them counting around twenty to thirty in all, but when one of the guards went to question them about what was happening they were able to subdue him, though not before getting the attention of a few more guards. However, the time it took for the guards to arrive was enough for the citizens to start putting up a makeshift barricade made of the old doors and various wood scraps in front of the gaping entrance down to the cave. Though it seemed flimsy at first glance, the guards were surprised to find that it was actually quite sturdy. Sturdy enough to withstand one of the guards trying to throw their whole body weight against it at least. Even the side entrance seemed to have been barred. And so, the guards had quickly decided to get the Captain, who wasn't yet present, and The Mayor to give them orders on how to proceed. They couldn't simply have the three mages who had gathered, as the other two had fallen sick, to blast away the barricade. The people behind it, other than beating up and disarming a guard, hadn't actually committed any obvious crimes after all. They were, as far as the guards could tell, just citizens that had gotten a crazy idea into their head. The problem was, of course, that what the plan actually _was_ wasn't clear to them at all.

The whole situation gave The Mayor a very bad feeling however, and he knew that acting quickly and decisively would be absolutely necessary if he wanted to stop whatever was about to happen.

"Right then. Everyone, get away from the barrier! Good. Now mages. Fireballs at the ready. And I need two runners. Yes, you two. One of you go to the Barracks and get as many of the off duty guards as you can to bring crossbows, and I want you to go and get the Headmaster. Now go. Yes, mages! Fire on three. One, two three!"

The soldiers going to get help didn't feel the heat at their backs, but the soldiers close to the entrance certainly did if their screams of surprise were any indication. Thankfully the rain seemed to block most of the heat, and the only consequence to the blast was the destruction of the wooden barrier.

The smoke and steam quickly cleared, and it was soon revealed that no one was standing behind it. They must have gone further in.

"What are they trying to… No, it can't be." The Mayor muttered to himself.

"Sir? What's happening? Have you figure out what they were trying to do?" One of the guards asked him, relief and nervousness seeming to be fighting for control of his emotions at the fact that they might know what they would be facing.

"The citizens who went down there, they may be thinking about trying to leave the city using the military ship, hoping that the wildness of the storm may keep any monsters away from it."

The guard seemed to think about it for a moment, before asking "Wait, would that work?" However immediately after asking this The Mayor shook his head.

"No, from what I can guess, they may be thinking something along the lines of 'if monsters see us already in the middle of the ocean later, then they'll think we weren't stopped already by other monsters for a reason.' And though that might work on humans, the fact of the matter is that if the ship isn't prepared properly then it's only going to have the opposite effect on monsters. Frankly, they might just be encouraged by it. But even if they decided to go, they still haven't enough food to make it all the way to the mainland. What are they thinking? If they came as a group then this was clearly planned."

The Mayor sighed to himself, before nodding to himself.

"Whatever the case is, we need to stop them before they get themselves killed. Now come on, let's-"

 _Ring-a-ling-ling_

The sound of a bell coming from the docks made the group stop in shock. That was the bell for the gates!

"DAMMIT! GO, GO, GO!" The Mayor shouted as he himself ran forwards and down the long stairwell to the docks below.

The inner gate slowly opened, and the Baker watched quietly as a single monster, an older mermaid that fit the description of the one that The Mayor had said had imitated the Order to cause the riot from before, swam through and nodded at him with a smile before speaking up as the gates closed behind her.

"Hey there, I'm here from the boss! She told me how the gate was operated," the Baker was momentarily stunned at this statement, though the monster didn't seem to understand the significance of knowing that information even though it was something only passed down by word to those important enough to have authority over the gates in some capacity. He himself knew, and had informed the man running it just a day prior, but she didn't seem to notice his surprise and continued talking.

"So I'll be letting you out of here. Don't worry, we all know the deal. You guys get to go home to Zippergoo and we get the humans here, so we aren't allowed to attack your ship."

The Baker nodded at that. The confirmation was a good one, and he felt as everyone else on the ship breathed a sigh of relief.

"Er, thank you for letting us know. And it's Zipangu by the way." The mermaid simply waved his explanation away though.

"Yeah, yeah, just point me to where the controls are." He wordlessly complied, and he watched as one of his men popped out from behind a seemingly normal wall and ran to the ship as the mermaid went towards it. Only a minute later and he heard the bell start to ring, and the inner doors started to open up. Quickly, he had his men start to maneuver the boat into the gateway, and just as they were entering through, the gate doors starting to close behind them, he heard the sound of someone yelling as they ran down the stairs.

"NO! STOP! YOU'RE GOING TO GET YOURSELVES KILLED!"

However the Baker turned away and walked to the front of the ship, ignoring the man he realized was The Mayor entirely. The time for niceties was over, and this was he and his people's only chance to get off the hellhole they had gotten trapped in. And if the explosion that would keep the gates open caught the Mayor in the blast radius? Well that would be for someone else to worry about.

Behind them, they heard the bell ring again, and the outer doors began to open. The moment it opened, nearly two dozen dark shapes began to stream into the chamber and everyone on the ship felt a sudden jerk as the monsters began to push the ship back out against the storm outside. In only a few moments the crew found themselves drenched by the downpour, and felt strong winds start to buffet them. One man almost fell off the side before another was able to grab him and both quickly pulled themselves inside where they were safe. The Baker quickly motioned everyone else inside as well, as he could see that despite the rough seas knocking the boat around the monsters were still keeping up with their part of the bargain and were steadily moving the ship away from the island. Soon they would be safe, but until then they would have to rely on the monsters that were physically keeping the boat from tipping over or flooding for survival, and his presence up on deck wouldn't help anyone. Silently, as he walked to the door leading into the hull of the ship, he watched as the gates slowly closed with a large number of mamono already inside of it.

"Sir, we dealt with the mamono who had gained control of the gates, but not before it was able to trigger the inner gates opening." The Mayor cursed at the news, even as the bell began ringing again signaling that the gates were about to let in the flood of monsters they knew would be there.

"Right, everybody back up the stairs. We'll try and get them in a kill-zone and take them down before they can escape into the populace." The Mayor shouted, watching as all of the guards and the mages who had only just gotten down the stairs turned and started heading up. He hung back, making sure that they were all going up, and it was because of this that he managed to glimpse a small flicker out of the corner of his eye. A small bit of rope was on fire, and it seemed to lead underneath a small tarp. He suddenly gained a horrible feeling, but not one of long term dread. No, this one screamed _Danger_ to him. Screamed at him that he had to leave _right now_.

And so he did, flying up the stairs and getting out of the enclosed space just as the first of the monsters leapt up onto the docks.

"Oh poo, they're all running away. Hey, ladies, get out of the water! And has anyone seen the mermaid who was supposed to be meeting us here? Ugh, I hope she hasn't already started without us."

The monsters had all entered the dock and were throwing themselves out of the water and onto land. The monsters knew that they may be individually strong, but just one of them couldn't take down a group of humans. That was why they had come up with a simple plan. Gather together, and rush the humans as a whole before they could get ready. It was simple, sweet, and unless the humans had prior warning it would almost certainly work, especially with their numbers. Fifty humans against ten monsters? The humans would have a hard fight, but might win. Fifty humans against over fifty monsters? They wouldn't stand a chance. They had heard of the capabilities of the island humans' leader, but even he couldn't protect all of his men at once, and it was in those moments of him trying to protect others that they would strike at him. However, before the group could head up, one of them noticed something odd.

"Hey, guys, why is that on fire?" At the observation of a scylla, the large group of monsters turned their heads to the two small fires that had popped up. Closer observation revealed that it was two small cloth tarps that seemed to be draped over something, a barrel they guessed.

"I dunno, maybe we should put it out?"

"Nah, there's not much wood near it. And the steps look like they're just stone, so its not like it could spread outa here anyway."

"I'll still do it, just in case."

Slithering over, an older mermaid grabbed a bucket and scooped up some of the seawater in the docks that had come up with them and approached one of the small fires.

But unknown to her, before she could put the flames out the fuse that was traveling into the barrel reached its end point, and the crystal inside was activated, powering up the large mass of blast powder.

None of the monsters even knew what hit them.

The moment The Mayor sprung out of the tunnel, a few men in his arms being flung forwards onto the ground as he let go of them, he was already shouting as his eyes met the Headmaster's.

"FIRE BARRIER!"

The moment he said that, the mage's hands flew up almost automatically and a small magical wall popped up inside of the cave. A second later, and the reason for it became clear as a large gout of flame smashed against the shield, the fire pushing against it for a whole three seconds before it suddenly stopped and only embers in the air remained which quickly faded into nothingness themselves, the oxygen fueling it completely spent.

The Mayor began panting, tired from dashing up the stairs while also pulling the men who had lagged behind. What just happened… That was _not_ what he had expected. That explosion was set up. It wasn't caused by the monsters. And if so, then who did it? The escapees? But for what purpose? And even more importantly, what had happened to the gates? They were enchanted, yes, but could they survive an explosion as powerful as that one?

Was this the end?


	13. Chapter 12 - Monsoon

Chapter 12 - Monsoon

 _Yeah, so let's continue. We got a job training some recruits at the capital for a while. We apparently got noticed after we fought back a bunch of trolls singlehandedly. At that point, we didn't really understand just how abnormal we were, skill wise I mean. We weren't even seventeen yet, and we were already fighting off groups of monsters where even experienced teams had trouble taking on one by one. So when we got the offer, we were understandably confused. Of course, we stopped being confused on why they called for our help when we actually got there. Man, even at the ages we were at, we were already rivaling the royal guard at the time. Not the hero or their super elites, no, but we were basically all better than their normal military guys. So we ended up as trainers for a while. Just helping the troops get better. And also they wanted to see why we were so strong, but even though they tested us all they could come up with was that we were all just naturally very talented in our fields of combat. Of course, we had to stop teaching pretty soon, since it turns out twenty to thirty-something year old soldiers don't like being taught by kids. Which I understand. So they started hinting at us to go and just adventure again, fighting off monsters and generally keeping humanity safe. So basically what we were doing before, but now we could send them the bills for any equipment we bought, which was nice._

Week 12

As the storm finally began letting up, the last few drops of rain becoming fainter and fainter as the cloudy sky thinned out, the first few heads began poking out of their houses and basking in the morning sun. At first, the citizenry was on an emotional high. Everything was wonderful! The sun did its work, slowly evaporating away the last of the water on the road and drying out the wet buildings, the winds were no longer strong enough to knock you over but instead nice and calming, and the citizens knew that if there were birds around they'd certainly be singing. But it wouldn't last.

The news of the attack that had ended with one man dead and his young wife terrorized began spreading across the city. And like any rumor it became greatly exaggerated by the time it was passed on by the fourth person. And just as the specifics varied, so did the reactions of the populace. Two monsters became twenty, and the citizens grew scared about the height of the walls not being enough. But then The Mayor was able to slash them all down with a single flourish of the blade, and the citizens grew joyful that their protectors were so strong and brave. And then it was not one man who was killed but fifteen in a brutal massacre, and the citizens nearly shut themselves into their homes forever. But then yet again the young and inexperienced fisherman who had fought back took down three monsters in single combat before being overwhelmed, and the citizens armed themselves with whatever they could and stayed in groups when outside leaving them proud and determined to win against the Demonic threat.

However, all of the good and bad feelings in the world wouldn't change the fact that an attack _did_ happen, and the citizens were getting anxious. And because of this, The Mayor knew he would need to make a response. So he decided to give them something they would certainly enjoy.

"And so for the rest of the day everyone will be getting double rations. Just make your way to the quartermaster at your assigned time, and he'll be happy to get you your food. Just think of it as an apology for not handling the storm situation better."

Stepping back from the magical speaker system, The Mayor smiled as he heard the cheers all the way up in his tower.

"So, you're giving the citizens extra rations, hmm?" The Botanist said. "Well if so, then where exactly are you getting these from? We didn't magically get more… Wait. You don't mean to say that you actually-"

"Yes, I had the Dockmaster do it again. We're having monster meat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner." Replied The Mayor.

"Well," the Accountant scoffed, "not all of us anyway."

The Council shifted uncomfortably at that. The fact that when a Council meeting was held immediately after the guards were seen rushing en masse towards the docks was quite alarming. Even moreso when the Baker never arrived. However, it didn't take long before The Mayor, Headmaster, and the rest of the Council were able to slowly piece together what had happened over the course of the break-out.

The Baker led a group of twenty to thirty men and women, the exact numbers hadn't been figured out yet, out of the city by taking the military vessel that had been left behind. Somehow they weren't attacked by the monsters that had used the opening of the gate to try and infiltrate the island, leading to suspicions that the escapees had somehow communicated with the monsters beforehand. But there were still problems with their theory.

What were they going to do about food? How were they hoping to get enough distance from the island to stop the ship from being thrown back at the stone walls? And how were they hoping to avoid any monsters all the way back to the mainland? The group knew the chef wasn't an idiot. Which meant that either the hunger had driven him to do a very stupid thing, or he had a plan in place. And the only thing they could come up with, was that they had outside help.

"So what do we tell the populace? We can't tell them that monsters broke in, and then all died before they could actually do anything. Even I'm having a hard time believing that." The Doctor said, incredulously.

And it _was_ hard to believe. The idea that a group of monsters got past the gate was reason to panic enough, but for them to then just die all of a sudden, with only ashes and some bones as proof they were ever there? It would stop being scary, and just become unbelieveable. In fact, there was no doubt in some of the Council member's minds that people would probably see the statement as some sort of propaganda tool to try and scare the populace into submission. It had worked once before, with obvious results, and the anger at the imprisonment of the men and women responsible for the worst crimes still prickled in the minds of the citizens as some sort of unjust ruling of their friends and family.

"I say we tell them the truth," The Captain said, "and I don't mean the short version. We tell them everything we've figured out about the situation. We tell them who the primary culprit of the attack was. The Baker. We tell them why he did it. He wanted himself and a small group of people to get out. And we tell them why the guards were called. Monsters got in while they were getting out, and that one of the traps that the escapees left behind caught the monsters inside of it instead of the loyal guards."

The Quartermaster raised an eyebrow at that. "That sounds good and well, but there's still a problem. You got any idea what they're gonna be thinking once they hear that? Well I'll tell you. They're going to be thinking "Oh wow, we can get off this island too! We can just hop on a ship and sail away. After all, one group already did it and nothing bad happened to the rest of us inside. So why not give it a shot?"

"I, what? They would never do that!" The Captain spluttered. "It's suicide! We have no idea if the Baker even survived! They'd probably just get swarmed by monsters."

"Yes, but desperate times call for desperate measures. And if things get too much worse, especially since we only have a week or two's worth of food left, then people are going to be getting _very_ desperate." At the Quartermaster's response, the Botanist quirked an eyebrow up as she spoke.

"Hold up. A week or two? I thought we had enough for a month and a bit. What gives?"

"Well, the cause was the storm," The Mayor sighed, "since people were getting restless and needed extra food to keep themselves healthy enough to bear through the wetness we decided to increase the rations a bit during the downpour. Of course we didn't realize how much we were going through until just this morning when we were going to go back to the normal distribution and were recalculating how much longer we would last again. Turns out we have less than we thought we did."

The Council fell silent for a few moments before the Botanist began speaking again.

"Right, so there's another problem. If we're including the algae in that count," she gave a quick look at the Quartermaster who nodded, "then we may have to lower that estimation a bit more. During the storm a few of the more powerful winds swept in and blew over the covers we made for them. A bunch of the algae was completely lost, so we'll need some time before we can sustainably harvest them again. No, don't worry, we didn't lose _all_ of them. But we did lose maybe… twenty percent or so."

Despite the bad news, none of the Council reacted very much. They had, despite the dropping levels of food, too much on their plate to deal with at the moment. All the bad news was just blending into itself.

And those gathered around the table were each wondering to themselves, 'what was the Baker doing now?'

It had been a whole day of the boat constantly rocking back and forth as the monsters below deck kept the ship moving towards Zipangu. A whole day of shaking, being unbalanced, and trying not to get sick from the horrible chaotic movements. However, they were finally in the clear and out of the storm, and on their way back home.

The Baker made his way up to the deck where he could easily look around. Far off in the distance, he thought he might be able to see land, but there was a chance it might just be an unrelated island or even his mind playing tricks on him so he stayed silent. He knew it wouldn't do to excite the people inside needlessly.

He took a glance up at the sails which were still folded up, knowing that until the wind picked up in their favour they wouldn't be making any headway without the monsters moving the boat on their own. Annoying, he thought, but at the very least they were still actually traveling.

But, even as he thought that, he noticed that the boat suddenly started to slow, and saw as dark shapes suddenly darted away from the bottom of the boat. Those were the mamono who were helping him, he knew, but why were they suddenly fleeing?

Before he could even call out, he heard something heavy land behind him.

"Who's th-" his voice was suddenly cut off as a hand clamped over it and he quickly calmed down as the being behind him began to speak.

"Oh, don't be like that. It's nice to meet you. I'm the boss of the monsters that have been attacking the island you were on. And before you got home, I just had some questions."

"I see. May you grace me with the pleasure of seeing you?" He knew the sea dragon would. Vanity was practically a part of their-

"No."

"That's… I, I see. I apologize if the question offended you." Alarm bells began going off in his head. Was the monster already mated? One of those ones that hated any male but the one they had bonded to to let them see their face and body? And though they were both speaking the native language of Zipangu, there was still something off about its voice...

"It's fine," it giggled, "I'm just shy is all." He didn't believe that for a second.

"And, erm, you said you had questions? What about?"

"Oh you know. This and that. Like for instance, why'd you suddenly change your mind on doing more stuff so that you'd be able to get home more safely? You guys were so pacifistic before, and then suddenly you were okay with setting up an explosive device inside their docks."

"Well," the Baker started, "the people in the fortress. They seemed normal at first. Things were hard, but people were doing their best to survive. But then their leader! He committed a sin so grievous I do not wish to think about it."

"Oh really? Too bad. Tell me." Her voice was cheerful, but he felt her hand slide from just under his mouth down to his neck. This… this was not how he expected the encounter to go. He idly licked his lips in nervousness, the air seeming dry even though they were surrounded by water.

"I… I apologize, but a few of the mamono you commanded were killed by The Mayor of the city and his guards."

"But that's not all."

"N-no. That's not all. After they slew your… children?"

"Subordinates, really."

"I see. After they slew your subordinates they then had me… They had me cut the young girl up. They, they ate her! They consumed the part that had the appearance of a fish, yes, but they still ate an innocent child! Such actions go against everything I was raised to believe."

"They, they ate one of my monsters? Oh! I see! They're running out of food, and they're gonna start trying to eat monsters to survive! Man, that's pretty smart. Huh, why didn't I think of them doing that?"

The Baker could not believe his ears. This monster wasn't seeming to show any sadness for the death's of its fellow mamono at all. In fact, it seemed to actually be _praising_ the humans that had done the act instead! Like it almost admired them in some way. What… What was wrong with it? Did it have not a drop of empathy in its entire being? He had to know why.

"I'm sorry, but I must ask. What do you think of the humans inside the Fortress?"

"Hey. Shut up. _I'm_ the one asking questions here, alright? You talk without permission again and I'll rip your head off, kay?" It's words were harsh, but its tone and body language were playful and light-hearted. However, he didn't think for a moment that it wasn't serious about what it said.

"I understand ma'am."

"Good. Now, call out all of the men. And yes, I mean men only, okay? You have, hmm, thirty seconds. Starting. Now." She snapped her fingers, and the Baker paused for a moment as he digested her words, before breaking out into a sprint towards the door leading into the ship.

Twenty seconds later, after a great deal of shouting and confusion, the men were gathering on the deck. Fourteen in all. But when they arrived, the Baker was surprised to see the leader of the island sieging mamono gone. Was he imagining things?

"No, you're not!" The voice that came out of nowhere scared the group, and though each looked around they couldn't see anyone.

"Sorry, but I'm hiding right now. Anyway, you see that coin lying on the deck?" The Baker walked forwards, picking it up. "Well you're all going to flip it! Everyone who gets heads goes to one side of the ship, and everyone who gets tails goes to the other. Simple, huh?"

The Baker nodded before flipping it, "Don't touch it after you flipped it!", and let it hit the ground after the sea dragon spoke. It was heads, and so he walked to one side of the boat. After him, each of the men followed. Surprisingly there was a very uneven split. The final count was five heads, including the Baker, and ten tails.

"Goodie! You all done? Now, I want all of you to turn around okay?" All of the men complied, now slightly scared about whatever game the mamono was playing. But only a few seconds after they all turned around, The Mayor heard a large shout from the other ten men, and spun around to see large tentecles of water shoot up above the side of the ship and snatch each of the ten men before pulling them over the edge where their screams fell silent as they sank under the sea.

"NO! WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS? YOU PROMISED TO BRING US ALL BACK TO THE MAINLAND SAFELY!" The Baker shouted.

However, an ominous giggling was all that he received in return.

"Well, I do have to ask you. How did it feel?"

"W-What?"

"How did it feel to turn on your fellow man? To leave them to die? To abandon their bodies and souls to their sworn enemies?"

"I… I felt… What does it matter? I did this for my people! Now bring my men back!"

"I bet I know what you're feeling right now. You're feeling sad. Scared. Confused."

"YES! I am. I admit it. Now please, let them go."

"I could do that. Yes. But I have other plans for them. Plans that don't involve you knowing. Or you at all really." The Baker's eyes began to widen in realization.

"No. No, you can't do this! We had a deal! Others know! The Monster Lord herself will strike you down!"

"Oh, really? Silly. Don't you realize yet? I don't _care_ if she finds out. She'll let it slide. And now, what was I going to do? Oh, right, now I remember."

The sea dragon, still unseen, loudly cleared its throat.

"For the crimes of abandoning your fellow humans to an enemy force."

"No!"

"For the crimes of sabotaging the property of the Order."

"Everybody, inside the ship!" The Baker and the four other men, now realizing what was about to happen, dashed inside.

"For the crimes of hurting another human to further one's own goals at the expense of humanity." However, the monsters words were unheard with the sailors now inside the boat.

"Get everyone together, I don't know what's going to happen, but if it attacks then maybe we can fight it off as a group." At his words, the women began panicking. All they knew was that every man was suddenly called up to the deck, screaming came from outside, and now they were apparently under attack.

"Fight it off?"

"What's happening?"

"AND FINALLY," the voice was shouting now, though none could hear it, "FOR THE CRIME OF CONSORTING WITH MONSTERS."

"Grab whatever you can. We're not going down without a fight!"

"I SENTENCE YOU TO DEATH."

And with that, the sides of the boat imploded, sending shards of wood flying inwards at the huddled group of men and women as water quickly rushed in. All they could do was flail, and as the Baker tried to swim up to the surface, a dark shape filled his vision with its hand moving towards his neck.

Panic. Pain. Struggles. And then silence as the man finally stopped moving, along with the rest of the bodies who seemed to be suspended where they were in the water as if gravity had no hold on them.

"Now," the mamono's leader said, "I suppose it's time to get back to work. And eating monsters huh? Yeah, I can work with that."


	14. Chapter 13 - Waterfall

Chapter 13 - Waterfall

 _So for about a year we were running around the mainland, fighting monsters where they popped up and saving people. It was great. We were heroes. Oh, not capital 'H' heroes, just normal heroes. Like how you'd think that someone doing something brave was a hero. Yeah, like dealing with the Devil Bugs. Oh, is that racist? Oh. Well I'm not taking it back. See, we agree! Yeah, yeah. So we're running around, saving the world, or at least the part of the world we're in, and then we come across a dragon. Yeah, we were scared too. It... It totally outclassed us. My boyfriend's blade couldn't pierce its skin, my brother's spells just washed off of it like water, and my arrows did nothing but annoy it as it snatched them out of the air. When it grabbed me by the neck, that was when two things happened. I got my first taste of Demon Energy, and I fell in love with my man all over again. The Demon Energy started entering my body from the sheer presence of the Dragon being up close to me, and I could feel a little bit of the corruption. But then while the dragon was distracted, seeming to take pleasure in what was happening to me, she suddenly found this dagger sticking out of her eye as he latched onto her from behind. Turns out it doesn't matter how strong your scales are or how much Demonic Energy you have empowering you, since neither really stops someone from shoving a dagger through your eye socket. And yeah, you're right, I didn't fall. Oh, wondering how? Pretty simple actually. Demon Energy and Spirit Energy are polar opposites. Now with the most recent Demon Lord things have gotten more complicated, but the gist of things is that Demon Energy and Spirit Energy sorta cancel each other out, and the winner is almost always going to be the one that's being produced by the human supposing that no extra energy is being added from the outside. And if your boyfriend and brother tie you up for two days straight, that's long enough for your body to flush the rest of the stuff out of your system, even if its from a dragon. Yeah, that dragon might be why I'm like this._

Week 11

"Hey, let us in!"

"Yeah, you know you want to."

"Come, on, please?"

The shouts of the monsters at the wall up to the guards had been going on for an hour straight, and even after alerting the Captain and The Mayor the only orders the received were to stand by. And while it was scary at first and they actually made arguments to try and convince them to open the gates, something which really spooked them at first, they eventually got used to it and before they knew it the monsters had also stopped taking it as seriously and were now just making a token effort that both groups knew by now wouldn't work.

"Convincing Argument!"

"That's, I, why would you even expect that to do anything? You literally just said the words convincing argument. You didn't make one. Why?"

"Well what else am I supposed to do? It's so boring out here…"

Though the guards wouldn't openly admit it if they heard the monsters' idle chatter from far below them, they also found themselves bored of the situation. The monsters weren't actually doing anything after all. Both groups were simply sitting around. And the reason for this was because of a certain Council meeting that had yet to come to a mutual agreement, stopping the soldiers from actually trying to deal with the monsters outside their walls.

As a guard exited the meeting room, the Council went back to their argument.

"Okay, so can we agree that we need more food at least?" The Dockmaster asked.

"Yes," said the Doctor, "but that doesn't mean I'm comfortable with trying out this plan. What if too many pass through? We won't stand a chance!" The Botanist and Guard Captain both rolled their eyes at the same point that had been brought up before.

"Look," the Captain began, "There could be a hundred monsters that get through there, but you can't really believe that they're going to overcome all of our armed guards, me, our mages, and the Headmaster and Mayor, do you?" To that, the Accountant groaned in annoyance at the counterargument that had also been brought up in response.

"No, but that doesn't mean that they'll be able to stop them before too much damage is done. We've already had a death by just two monsters, and they had to be stopped by The Mayor. What if a few more slip in? Maybe they'll be stopped in their tracks, but they might also get at some of the civilians or possibly spread some of their demonic taint around."

" _And as we've already explained_ ," the Headmaster retorted, "Demon Energy can't grow inside the holy field. It can exist, yes, and move around if directed to do so, but it cannot increase even if a human is pounced on by a Demon. Honestly, the only way I can think of someone actually being corrupted is… possibly injecting Demonic Energy directly into their bloodstream? God knows if even that would work, and it would still require what would amount to pure Demonic Energy in liquid form. Which as far as I know only the Demon Lord itself would be able to pull off."

"It won't matter how much food we have if we're dead."

"And it won't matter how safe we are if we don't have any food!"

As it had for the past forty five minutes, the Council once again devolved into shouting, as both sides refused to back down. However, this time The Mayor, who would usually stay out of the arguments in order to let the rest of the Council reach an agreement on their own terms, decided that enough was enough and that he needed to step in.

"Right. I can see we aren't going to get any further. I'm sure we could spend the next thousand years going back and forth, and we're not going to reach a solution that satisfies everyone. So we won't. We'll be opening the gates for the monsters."

Even as the Council members still against the plan looked at him incredulously for simply ignoring the normal procedure they followed, the Captain immediately nodded.

"Yes sir. I'll get the men into position at once." he said and walked out of the room as The Mayor turned to the rest of the Council.

"Right. I'll have to ask you to calm down the populace while we get things in order down there. Headmaster, with me."

"I can't believe we're actually doing this."

"Ha! We've done worse. Remember that time in the desert?"  
If the Headmaster said anything back, it was covered up by the door closing behind them as they started down the stairs.

The Botanist stared at the door in silence for a full ten seconds before letting out a sigh. "Right. So, who's going to use the inter… Yeah, okay, fine. You can stop staring at me now."

The plan was simple. Do what the monsters asked, and then take them out before they could get out. Of course, they had to use the eastern gate this time. The west one, after all, had been permanently locked shut, as the explosion did not damage the gate as the Baker had assumed it would but instead it simply destroyed the opening mechanism. During the reign of the Demon Lord who presided there he could have fixed it without a second thought. And if the people of the city needed, they could likely get a blacksmith to go over the pieces needed and the thing could be repaired within a month or two. But as the opening mechanism was, the gate was simply unusable.

And so even as the Council was arguing, the Mayor had gotten some of the idle citizens to start hauling some of the wood and old netting over to the eastern end, and the Captain was having his guards set them up as they needed.

"Sir, we have it all set. Just say the word and we can cut the rope holding it up."

"Good. Go grab a crossbow and get in position. And make sure everyone is ready too. The Headmaster will come around in a minute, and just follow whatever he asks of you, alright? Then go." The Captain nodded to himself as he surveyed the docking area. Everything looked to be in order.

"Captain," The Mayor called out behind him, "are we ready to begin?"

"Yes. Just give the signal, and we can have the gate open any time you want."

"I see. Well then. We shall begin in five minutes. Hopefully by then the others will start talking to the populace to calm them down. Now, get your men into cover."

"Sir yes sir!"

"Got it working?"

"Yeah. And here's the script. Hopefully this goes well."

"Alright then. Let's see if I'm as good with people as I am with plants…"

The Botanist slowly walked up to the intercom, and as she pressed a button all the townspeople turned to the tower curiously as they heard the small chime that signified an announcement was about to start.

"Many of you have heard the rumors that there are monsters trying to get into this fair city at this very moment. And I am going to say that those rumors are true."

"Alright, open the gate!"

The sound of a bell ringing filled the air as the outer gate began to start opening up.

"But do not panic. For the walls of this fortress are strong and high. Though they try, they cannot get through."

"Now, the inner gate!"

Once again, the bell rang, and ever so slowly the guards watched as the only barrier between them and the monsters disappeared.

"As we speak, the Captain and his men are enacting a plan to slay a great deal of the foul beasts before they can try anything else."

The guards remained silent as the monsters swam through the waters towards the stone docking area, each of them barely breathing and not moving a muscle as they waited for the mermaids, scylla, mershark, and more to get into position. Waited silently even as the large gate started to clos

"Hey. The gates opened, so where are all the humans? I thought we got some girls in here already to let the rest of us in!"

"Do not panic, nor worry. Though the plan carries risk, The Mayor himself will be participating. And if there's anyone here we can put our trust in, it is him. After all, we have all heard of his exploits in defeating the monsters just a week ago during the torrential rain."

"Pfft. What? Can't you mermaids tell? There's a bunch of them here!

"What? How do you know that?"

"I can hear their heartbeats. Looks like they're hiding from us. Guess they can't control themselves, and are trying to hold their bodies back by trying not to lay their eyes on us. I know that's what I would do if faced with beauties like us!"

"Wait, hiding? THEY'RE HERE?"

"The guards will entrap the monsters in a snare, restricting their movements."

"NOW!"

At the Captain's shout, every guard swung out of hiding while a net high up against the roof, attached to a wooden crane meant for moving large objects on and off the ships, fell directly onto the gathered monsters, the previously useless fishing nets now once again being used to catch food.

"H-hey! What the heck?"

"Ow, my arm is stuck!"

"And in that moment, they will strike! In a single volley, many of the monsters will fall, and any who escape death in the first instant will simply meet it in the next!"

"Mark your targets men! Now, ready? Fire at will!"

On cue, every man pulled up their crossbows and fired a bolt at the nearest mamono. Several fell, and the sounds of terrified screaming filled the room as the monsters finally realized what was happening.

"And now I must tell you another reason for their actions. For you see we have been blessed by knowledge that must be from God himself!"

"I-I'm out! I'm free! But... Dammit… No, I won't forgive you guys!"

A mershark, eyes burning with rage, began sprinting towards the nearest soldier. However, before it could make it to the man, who was still busy reloading, a dark shape came at it from the side and the mershark felt a strong impact smash it into the ground, knocking it unconscious which stopped it from feeling the second slash that came down on its neck.

"The monsters that most fear, we have learned how to use them as our ancestors did! Through ancient tomes we have learned how the Demonic Energy they wield can be destroyed. It is through Faith! Faith in God! Faith in Humanity! Faith in our brothers and sisters!"

"P-please, you don't have to do this! We'll leave! It's just us five left. We won't hurt anyone, just let us live."

"You know, if it was someone I liked who told me that, I might be inclined to believe them. To give them a second chance."

"So you-"

"But I've seen men and women scramble away as they begged for mercy from monsters. And they weren't afforded any."

"The dark power of the monsters will be purged from their bodies, leaving only empty shells of flesh! And we will turn it on their fellow demons. For though their magics are most foul, they are limited by the body. A body that we will cut, slice, and burn until their flesh is one that we can consume!"

"Mayor, all of the monsters are dead." The Captain said as he idly poked at one of the corpses.

"Good. Have the men drag the bodies over to the center of the docking areas, and get some of them to count them all up. I want an accurate count for the Dockmaster and Quartermaster, alright? Tally up the numbers for each species too. Might not need it, but who knows."

"Sir."

"I know many of you are confused. Some of you scared. But know this! We are on this world by the grace of God. And several hundred years ago, men ate the flesh of monsters not for greed, or to gain their strength, but as tribute to Him. We let the world itself know that we were not scared of these beasts! That we, humanity, could overcome anything. We could take the worst that the planet could throw at us, and then use it on our enemies, the demons themselves!"

"Right, have someone head up and blow the victory horn while we start getting them onto a cart or two. We need to move them to get processed before they start stinking up the place."

"And the equipment, sir?"

"If there were any holes in the net, fix those too. And see if you can recover as many bolts as you can. We can't afford to waste them."

"Do you hear that, fellow humans? Hear the sound of our victory over the demons? Know that we have won! That soon the bodies of our greatest enemies will be moved through the streets! Memorize the bodies that will pass by your houses, for their flesh will become yours. Know that God has ordained it! That God will watch you with pride as you spite the monsters even after their deaths, by using their own kin against them in the most beautiful irony!"

"Dammit, these things are heavy. Can't believe we have to pull these things up the stairs."

"Oy, don't complain. The Mayor is carrying an entire cart on his own, and he's in his eighties."

"Yeah, but The Mayor. He's amazing! Did you see what he did to that shark? It was just like 'whoosh bang shling' and then-"

"Oy, quiet back there! Less talking more hauling!"

"Know that we are with you. We will eat just as much as you will, not taking any larger a share than the smallest of women. For though we may lead you, we are still human. We are still united! Long live the Order! Long live God! Long live Humanity!"

The Botanist stepped away from the microphone as the Doctor quietly flicked a small switch that stopped the flow of magical energy to the speaker system, turning it off and stopping the city from hearing her next words.

"God, that was surprisingly tiring. And overdramatic too. You guys really wrote this up yourself?"

"Ha," The Doctor laughed, "if you could really call it writing. We only had like fifteen minutes, so we grabbed some history books and a play book, and just took what sounded nice. The Accountant really seemed like he was having fun with it."

The Botanist made a face at that.

"Ugh, to tell you the truth I don't like that guy."

"Tell me? Darling, we already know that. You guys hate each other. Honestly, we're surprised one of you hasn't tried to rip the other's throat out yet."

"Ha! Don't give me any ideas."

"Right, that's all of them. Men, don't pay any attention to the onlookers, just pull the carts to the processing area."

And watchers there were. Many people had come to look at the small train of guards that were hauling the large number of monsters, nearly fifty by the count, behind them. Some seemed scared, some a bit surprised, but many more seemed happy. And why wouldn't they be? The monsters that they'd heard about in their bedtime stories and who'd been haunting the borders of their city for so long were lying dead. And if anyone noticed that the guards made sure to keep the more intimidating mersharks on top while hiding the more human looking ones beneath them unseen, no one commented on it.  
The carts rolled across the ground only making noise when they ran over bumps, while the guards stayed silent the whole way. However, only a few minutes into their march, the first few sounds from the citizens began. They were small things. Quiet muttering about the numbers of monsters, the uninjured state of the soldiers, and the eating of the monsters themselves. However, their voices soon rose in volume, but instead of the harsh and scared yelling that a few of the soldiers feared may come they were met with cheers of encouragement, loud thank yous, and people yelling that the soldiers were the greatest. To many of the guards it was something they had never experienced before, and The Mayor and Captain knew that trying to douse their enthusiasm by making not letting them wave back and happily talk to the villagers as they pulled the wagons would be counterproductive. And so they continued onwards until the monsters were finally brought to the cleaning and gutting area, where the rest of the population was barred from as the preparation of the meat would be carried out.

Three hours later, after the fisherman were all brought over to help clean and debone the fish, with the Mayor, Headmaster, Dockmaster, and Doctor all deciding where they should stop cutting the monsters at, due to ones like the mermaids being functionally identical to a normal human above the tail.

Many of the fishermen were uncomfortable, but soon they were able to push away these feelings and all of the monsters were processed.

Only half an hour later, and each family was given a large portion of monster meat, at that point indistinguishable from normal seafood which the citizens who knew of the normal appearance of monsters were thankful for, and every family's home were lit up brightly as people laughed and cheered.

Unbeknownst to them, it was this action that would spell the eventual fall of the entire island.


	15. Chapter 14 - Whirlpool

Chapter 14 - Whirlpool

 _So after that, we got a lot more cautious. A bit too cautious sometimes in fact. I remember this one time when we were fighting these goblins. Just about twenty or so, so they were easy pickings. Then this orc walks in and we start to panic. I know, a bit unreasonable, but basically we had gotten a bit paranoid and started to expect that there were actually like an entire tribe of them right behind it despite how rare it is that orc tribes even pop up without an incubus around. So instead of staying and just cleaving another monster in two along with the goblins, we up and left. Just hightailed it out of there like a bunch of pansies. Pathetic, I know, but honestly, that whole thing with the dragon... It really spooked us. We had met some tough opponents back in the day, but we were never so outclassed before. If it hadn't taken the time to toy with us, our journey would have ended right then and there. But I guess at the end of the day it didn't, and that's all that matters. Anyway, we start running, and the orc and goblins start chasing us, all the way back to a nearby town. The guards, well armed of course, made short work of the group of monsters, and we... basically were made fun of for a straight week. It's kind of funny. I think that experience, the being made fun of thing, actually shocked us back into reality more than the whole running away from goblins thing. What? No, they're definitely weak. I could wrestle one down by that point by myself. Hey, I'm not a freak! We all could! Even my brother, and he was a complete wuss compared to me and my boyfriend! Yeah, yeah, whatever. Anyway, that was when we decided to try and expand our horizons. And by that, I mean go to the desert. It was a spur of the moment thing I admit. We really didn't like being made fun of, especially for a legitimate reason._

"So, they still out there?" One guard said, a lazy drawl in his voice.

"Eeeyup." Responded another. Both were almost relaxing on guard duty, despite what they were seeing below them.

"They still just sitting around?"

"Eeeyup."

"You still a moron?"

"Eeeyuwait a second. Heh, you almost got me."

"Damn. So close."

The guards were, unlike the past few weeks, quite jovial, and found enough energy in them to banter around. The reason for this was the great feast that had occurred just the day before. As the citizens began gathering their shares of the food a few of them decided to bring out many thin slabs of metal from the fish processing area and the blacksmith's workshop, which now lay abandoned as the owner had taken the chance to leave the city when he could during the initial evacuation, and the Headmaster set a controlled flame underneath to create a large communal cooking area which nearly the entire city began to use. While the portions were not overwhelming, it was still more food than the citizens had eaten in one day, let alone a single meal, and they happily embraced the joyous mood that the whole city had been swept up in.

Now, however, there was a curious sight just outside the fortress walls, near the western gate where they had been let in previously. There were a large number of monsters congregating there, but instead of shouting, or throwing things, or really acting intimidating at all, they were all simply just waiting around as they seemed to chat with each other. A runner had been sent to the Captain, but when he came back the only message he brought was to "wait for further developments" which wasn't much of a help at all as far as the guards were concerned. And so they were stuck just sitting around, watching the monsters tread water and lean or sit on the rocky outcrop that jutted around the base of the walls. One thing that they were wondering, however, was what the monsters were actually talking about.

Whatever it was, they assumed, it was likely something horrible in their demonic tongue, probably boasting about the many men and women they would tear apart and mercilessly slay if they ever got the chance, or possibly talks about brutal torture and maybe even things far worse than their human minds could concieve.

"So, when'dya think the humans are gonna let us in? We've been sitting out here for, like, hours!"

"I dunno. Hopefully the girls that got it were able to convince them. I mean, how couldn't they? They were looking fine if I do say so myself."

"You'd say that cause one of 'em was your sister!"

"And she was the most beautiful mermaid of them all. None could match her gorgeous and stunning appearance in all the seas."

"Your _twin_ sister."

"Oh, come on, what's wrong with a little vanity? Anyway, I'm sure that once they're finished up and convinced their new hubbies to open the gates, we'll all get in and get to choose some men of our own."

"And if they deal with the women before hand? Then all the men are gonna be taken before we can even lay an eye on them!"

"Nah, they're not that selfish… right? And they'll still let us share. Probably."

"Yeah, let's just stop talking about it, or I'll feel even worse, okay?"

One of them silently wiped at the side of his mouth. He knew that no one _really_ wanted to admit it, but the monster meat actually didn't taste half bad. He hoped he wouldn't actually acquire a liking to it, but if it meant a happy stomach then he wouldn't be adverse to a repeat of yesterday.

Unknowingly, the rest of the guards mirrored his own thoughts on the matter.

The Council had gathered once more, but unlike the guards and citizens they were feeling far less joyful, and this stemmed from the topic of conversation.

"And that's the end of the report." The Mayor finished. Normally he would have his Assistant read out this sort of thing for him, but the young man was currently indisposed in the medical area where he was confined to rest. However, just because it was The Mayor himself who was speaking didn't mean the information was any more welcome.

"So," the Doctor said, "all seven of the ships that had been gathered to try and deliver some food and medicine were sabotaged before they even left the port. And all evidence points to it being orchestrated by monsters. Which means that-"

The Dockmaster interrupted him. "Yes, yes, the monsters that are sieging the city have somehow become organized enough to intentionally try and stop any attempts at reinforcing us, even though this is something nigh unprecedented in the reign of the current Monster Lord. _Yes_ Doctor, it was in the report. We don't need you to repeat everything."

"Well I'm sorry. Just seeing if I got everything right."

"You did. Now stop repeating it."

"I only did it once!"

"Now now, settle down boys." The Botanist said. "Yes, this is not a good thing. Yes that means we're still gonna be here for a while. But we already expected that didn't we? It's why I'm here! Why I'm doing all that stuff with algae! And also why we ate the freakin' monsters in the first place."

"Well you can stick that algae right up-"

The Mayor sighed at the constantly bickering group of grown adults. Just because the rest of the city was happy, it seemed that the Council would always be fighting over the little things. And the extra bit of news he had for the Botanist would probably make things worse.

"I'm afraid there's something else I need to bring up. And this does, unfortunately, need to be addressed quite quickly by our resident plant expert." he said, interrupting another of her verbal jabs.

"Oh? Well what is it?"

"I've had some of the workers go over the pools to make sure nothing went wrong, like you suggested, and I've come across a worrying pattern. Even though we only lost a few pools, some of the larger ones don't seem to be producing as much algae as they did before. In fact, one of the pools seems to actually be _losing_ algae. It's not disappearing, but its changed colour was matched against some others in what few records we have in the library, and we've found that it matches some sort of sickness the algae can get."

"Wait," the Dockmaster interrupted, "sickness? Plants can get sick?" At that, the Accountant and Botanist both rolled their eyes, and the Botanist answered him.

"Yes, plants can get sick. And it's not just because they don't get enough water or enough sunlight either. And most of the time it isn't a big deal. However, there are a couple of rarer diseases out there that can affect plants. Some say they were created and let loose by a Demon Lord, but I don't know. Whatever the case, they're sort of like freak mutations of normal diseases but with two twists. The first is that there's no apparent pattern for their appearance. A group of people might get a cold, and then it turns out that one of them actually caught one of the rare variants and now everyone who catches his strain turns into a zombie."

"Wait… I think I heard about that one before." The Dockmaster said.

"Yep," said the Quartermaster, "it's an old tale that gets passed around. Mostly a way to keep people alert about the dangers of sickness. There's a copy of the full thing and a bunch of other tales down in the storage room."

"He's right," the Botanist nodded, "some of the diseases pop up out of nowhere from normal ones, and if some kind of algae specific sickness was washed over the side of the wall through a couple of tiny droplets that flew off of the bigger waves, then it may have infected a few of the cells and mutated at some point. And for how it somehow survived all the way here through the salt water, I'd have to guess that it clung to a monster, and the Demon Energy that's been building up in the nearby waters have kept it alive all this time, as it seems to always do in the worst possible circumstances..."

"That sounds troubling, but that _is_ the worst case scenario, right?" The Mayor asked nervously.

"Well, yes. But the fact that it's only been a few days since the storm ended and the results of the infection are apparently showing already, means that either it was more than just a couple of drops of the disease that were washed into the pools, or it really is a more powerful strain. And the chances that getting some sort of algae specific sickness into the city when it's exactly what we need… I have to say that it's unlikely that it was an accident. There's a chance, yes, but I doubt it."

"I see. Well in that case please do everything in your power to fix this mess. Just give me the word, and I'll have some men sent over to you to do any of the labour you think that you'll need to have done." The Mayor said, a serious look on his face. He knew that if he didn't get this problem fixed, then it could spell bad things in the future. And sure, maybe eating the sick and dead algae may not be harmful to humans, but if it kept dying then there simply wouldn't be any left to eat at all. And even if they had all the monster meat in the world… Eating fish could help keep away scurvy. But there was no guarantee that the same was the case for the fish type monsters. They _needed_ the algae.

"Thank you. I'll get on that as soon as I can."

The Mayor looked around at the gathered members and, seeing that no one had any more issues they felt the need to bring up, decided to end the meeting for the day. However, the events that would occur only two days after this occurrence would make everyone's next few weeks a whole lot worse.


	16. Chapter 15 - Tsunami

Chapter 15 - Tsunami

 _Now when we started heading to the desert, we immediately found ourselves with a few problems. The first was that we had no idea how to survive in the desert, and the second was that, well, we didn't actually know where it was. At that point, we had just heard about it. So we stopped by villages as we traveled, and eventually found a man who could point us the way there. Of course then we found out that surviving in the desert required a whole bunch of water and light clothing and eye protection and a whole bunch of other stuff on top of that. So even though we high-tailed it out of the city like there was no tomorrow, we still took two weeks to actually get there. And wasn't that embarrassing. Still though, we eventually were all prepared, had switched out our gear to something more appropriate, and found the edge of the desert with a path to one of the desert cities planned out. And then a sandworm attacked us and we barely fought back the ambush. So that was a fun introduction._

Week 12

"Hey. Hey! Guard, get over here!"

"Yeah yeah, what is it prisoner?"

"My cellmate, he's been breathing really heavily all day. Won't get up either. I think there's something wrong with him, but if there is then I can't figure it out."

"What do you want _me_ to do about it?"

"I don't know, get the Doctor? If he's got something, then I don't want to catch it."

"Ugh, fine. I'll go get him. Don't get any funny ideas while I'm gone, alright?" the guard said as he walked out the door. Leaving the many prisoners to themselves would be a horrible idea, but the man took solace that the criminals were kept enclosed by the prison bars where they couldn't cause any trouble when he was gone. Or when he was still there for that matter.

"Don't worry," the prisoner said after the door closed behind the warden, "we won't."

As he spoke, all the incarcerated men and women who heard him sprouted malicious grins.

-

"So, this is your seventh week here? Or is it your eighth?" The Captain asked the almost broken looking man sitting before him.

"I… don't remember," he said haltingly.

Time in the prisons, despite the windows allowing sunlight to stream through during the day, was hard to keep track of. Even the most hardened warrior would find his confidence crumbling under the uncomfortable conditions. Stone beds, stone walls, and a stone floor and ceiling meant that any heat that may have built up in the day was quickly lost during the night. And though the prisons could easily be kept warm by the use of the Heat Crystals deeper inside the fortress depths with almost no loss to the heat distributed to the rest of the island, The Mayor and Guard Captain had decided that they would keep it at the minimum temperature they were allowed to go to. Not so much that the prisoners would suffer from things like hypothermia, but enough that the chill would settle into their bones all night. It was a bit vindictive, yes, but the two weren't ready to forgive the prisoners for their actions.

"Right then. Has anything new come up about the other prisoners?" the Captain asked.

"Yes," replied the Informant, "they seem… excited today. I don't really know why. They don't-"

"Don't really talk to you about things," the Captain sighed. "Yeah. You said that yesterday too." Unfortunately for the Captain, the Informant wasn't much of a help anymore. At first, he was able to supply information about what the prisoners acted like when the guard wasn't around, them being mostly either being quiet and brooding or loudly venting their anger with no one around to tell them to quiet down, but as the only change over the weeks was them no longer openly expressing their rage at The Mayor, Captain, guards, and rest of the citizens as a whole, and the prisoners not exactly being open to talking with the defeated looking man when they could more easily whisper among themselves, he had become less and less useful. However, the fact that the prisoners were suddenly energetic was _something_ at the very least. They had very few reasons to be after all, but the exact reason why currently eluded him. Did they hear about the feast just two days ago and had somehow started to expect that they would get some of the food as well? Because, as long as the Captain had a say in it, they most certainly would not be.

"Should I get back to cleaning now?" the Informant asked.

The Captain huffed while waving the man away, watching as he began cleaning the crossbow bolts and doing the other menial tasks the guards normally did. If there was one thing that the Captain would miss when this was all over, it would probably be the free manual labour.

However, his mind couldn't keep off of what the prisoners might be doing.

"Alright then," the Doctor said as he walked over to the cell that the reportedly sick man was in, "open the gate. Let me get a look at him."

One of the three guards, the other two having been grabbed away from their patrol to help restrain the prisoners if needed, walked over to the prison cell and unlocked it, swinging the door open and letting the other two guards enter and tie the two prisoners' hands together.

"Alright, roll him onto his back, would you? Yes, thank you. Now let me get a good look at him. Hmm, let me just check his pulse… Alright, a bit slower than it should be. Wait. Is this? Oh, wonderful, it is." Stepping back from the near comatose man, the Doctor straightened his coat and readjusted his charcoal filtered medical mask. "Right, looks like this man has caught sick. Same kind that's affected a bunch of the citizens. Don't know how he got it, but he does. Probably best to move him out of here before he ends up… Actually it might be too late for that."

"Right, one of you bring me to the Captain. I need to speak to him."

As if on cue, the heavy metal door leading to the main prison area swung open and the Guard Captain and a defeated looking prisoner walked in.

"Ah! Convenient. Captain, we have a problem." At his exasperated look, the Doctor continued. "It seems that one of the prisoners have gotten sick. However, in this enclosed area, and with relatively little food, the immune systems of the rest of the prisoners may have been severely weakened. I expect that many of them have possibly been infected, but since the symptoms don't show up for a while I can't tell how far it has spread. Just to be sure, I need to have all of the prisoners brought to the medical bay where we can put them in isolation from each other."

"Doctor, do we _really_ need to do that? Look, I'm not saying that I want them all to just roll over and die, but should we be wasting food and medicine on these guys? Who's to say that they're not just going to catch it again? Or something else? Then we'd just be wasting what supplies we have."

"Captain," the Doctor said, "I understand your concerns, but it is our duty as fellow men under God to treat each other with respect. And one part of that is to help keep our fellow man healthy even if we don't like them. Otherwise, we'd just end up as tyrants who would callously let others suffer if it meant that we could reap all the rewards. And the last thing I want to do is hurt other humans when we don't have to. I'm sure you understand what I mean."

The Captain shuffled awkwardly at that, a slight bit of petulant annoyance on his face. He clearly didn't like the prisoners, but the Doctor was making him pay more attention to his conscience. To the relief of the Doctor, the man eventually nodded in acceptance, but not before speaking up once more.

"I'll get some of the men to help bring them to the medical bay. But I want us to get twenty, no I want thirty guards to be part of the escort force. I don't want them trying any funny stuff while we're escorting them."

"Fine. But let's not wait too long. Every second we stay here is another second that the illness could spread."

The Doctor quietly walked beside the line of prisoners as they headed to the medical bay. It was a bit far from the prisons, and between them lay the fish processing plant, The Mayor's tower, and many of the houses. The fact that there were twenty six guards but thirty one prisoners was noted and there was a slight concern that the prisoners could overpower them. However, their fears were alleviated by the fact that the prisoners all had rope bindings holding their arms behind their backs, were all unarmed, and had also been eating far less than the guards did. Even if they gathered up the strength to resist, they'd find their bodies sluggish and slow.

"Hey, we there yet?" one of the prisoners shouted from the back of the line.

"No! We're not there yet! Now for the last time, just shut up already," the Captain barked with an angry look on his face.

"Fine, fine, I get it," the man said, a mocking tone clearly noticeable in his voice.

The Doctor suppressed a sigh. He knew the prisoners were getting rowdy, and seemed to be a bit joyful, but that was expected with the change in environment. For the first time in weeks, they were standing directly in the sunlight and were heading towards somewhere warm where they'd get full rations. It was no wonder that they were acting rambunctious. He knew that the Captain had some hard feelings towards the mean but the people were stressed and it wasn't like they would try anything in the state they were in now.

His inner thoughts had to stop however, as he realized that they had arrived at the medical area. He would need to start separating the prisoners quickly. He started to go over a mental checklist of what would need to happen, as he started heading down the stairs leading to the set of underground rooms. First the one that was sick would need to be brought with the others, and then-

The only warning he got was movement out of the corner of his eye as he abruptly found himself with a prisoner's tied up hands stopping him from lowering his chin as the man's wrists lay around his neck and he found himself being dragged into a tunnel. At the same time, all of the prisoners suddenly began rushing forwards at some unseen signal, and the guards could only shout in surprise, though one of the prisoners was tackled to the ground by a quick thinking soldier before he could get away.

However, only seconds later as everyone realized what had just happened they found that the prisoners had already dashed down the stairs, down to the makeshift hospital where all of the helpless patients sat without any guards to protect them.

And that's when the speaker system went on, and all the guards' eyes were drawn to a steadily rising flame over the north sector.

 _*CRASH*_

"What was that?" The Mayor's Assistant asked himself, the loud sound of something being knocked to the floor echoing through the room he was in from the main medical area. He stayed silent for a few moments, wondering to himself if he would prefer to be hearing more crashes or an ominous silence, but soon he heard the sound of panicked shouting coming from where the rest of the patients were. Was someone having some sort of seizure? Or a heart attack?

He quickly pulled himself off of the small mattress that The Mayor had brought for him, the fact that it was fully made from a sort of specially treated wool that wouldn't absorb water meaning that it was probably one of The Mayor's few indulgences, and after stumbling for a second as he felt the odd rush of blood out of his head he made his way to his door. Slowly pulling the door open, making sure to pull up as he had to to ensure it didn't make a loud creaking noise, he peeked out of the small crack he made and the sight made him shiver.

Several men dressed in prisoner's rags seemed to be standing around in the medical bay. Was there some kind of break-out? His eye caught something strange however as he noticed that other than the few that were standing around, half seemed to be throwing things around as if looking for something while the other half were trying to knock down a door. The door that he distinctly remembered led to the room where the three giant Heat Crystals lay. What were they trying to do?

He had to think. He didn't have any weapons, and he was sick. He didn't want to admit it, but he was weak. He wasn't a fighter, and was even less than that with his illness affecting him. He was a pen pusher. A desk jockey. He only knew how to use a sword from The Mayor's direct teachings, and even then he was never really that good with one. But there were people here, and he had to figure out what they were doing. And even more, why the guards weren't there yet. They must have known that this was happening, which meant one of two things. Either they were all dead or incapacitated in some way, which was highly unlikely, or they were preoccupied with something else. Which meant that he was the only one that knew what was happening down here, and was fit enough to act.

"Oy, we can't find any food. Or even any goddam drugs for that matter. Wasn't this supposed to be a hospital? I'M HUNGRY GODDAMIT!" One of the men started yelling loudly, but another one started whispering to him and he quickly quieted down as the other prisoners began giving him the stink eye. And the Assistant finally figured out the situation. The men had been living off of near scraps for, what was it, a month and a half while in uncomfortable cells? However they managed it, they seemed to have found a way to get themselves out of the cells and broke out at some point while being transferred. Now they were looking for food, and or drugs. Something, anything really, to get their minds off of their predicament. And they had likely egged each other on to the point that they had decided to actually make a move. But why weren't the guards there yet? Even half as many guards should be able to take the group of prisoners down as they were.

All this ran through the Assistant's mind as he quietly stared through the peephole, the relative darkness of the room he was inside mostly hiding his form from those outside. However, his thoughts were interrupted by the sight of a man seeming to give up his search around a small magically powered fridge and began walking straight towards the room that the Assistant was in. Even as he quickly hobbled to one end of the room and picked up the small doctor's kit lying there and pulling out the scalpel inside just in case, he knew that he needed to keep himself hidden if he wanted to get out of this alive. The rest of the patients were relatively safe. They had been grouped together from the start and so were ignored by the prisoners who seemed to disregard the fact that they would probably catch the sickness from the prisoners if they continued to hang around their occasionally coughing bodies without some kind of mouth protection. But he himself? He was alone. Separated from the rest. And if they realized that that might be significant, and then figured out that he worked directly for the person who had them incarcerated in the first place… He needed to find a hiding place, and fast. And if it was to hide from someone who was going to be specifically looking around the place, then he knew just where to hide.

"Anyone in here?" he heard the man say as the door swung inwards. However, the escapee got no response, though that didn't surprise him. After all, he had no reason to suspect anyone else was around. Especially not one fit enough to respond, let alone walk around.

"A bed? Damn, someone's special. Wonder who gets that baby when all the other guys just get straw?"

The man began rummaging through the room, but the Assistant heard the moment that he stopped and scrambled over to the doctor's kit that he had left open. Seconds later and he was running out of the room, presumably with it in his hands. As he heard the man seem to shout to the others about finding something the Assistant loosened his tight grip on the scalpel and breathed a sigh of relief at his perceived safety.

However, even as a small cheer rose up out of the gathered men, them probably already trying to get the painkillers out of the pack and probably patching up any wounds they may have gotten during their incarceration and escape, a cracking noise filled the air and a short silence occurred before a louder cheer rang out across the room. The heck was that? He slowly inched the door forwards and off his body as he stood right behind it where his body was completely concealed by the wooden slab, and peeked through the crack. The door that the men had been trying to knock down, the one that led to the Heat Crystal room, seemed to have sprouted a new hole. It led to part of the storage area, so they might be trying to get in through the back. But at the same time there was an exit, and therefore entrance for the guards, to the city there as well. It was _very_ risky, yes, but if the guards were still distracted by whatever had happened, then they might make it there. Of course, they probably hadn't thought any further than that.

"Right! You guys stay here and keep looking. See if you can barricade the entrance, and maybe we can stay here for a while. They ain't gonna try and rush this place while we got hostages after all."

As the sound of many footsteps sounded out towards the far door, and after the sound of some more smashing they disappeared as the large group went down a tunnel, The Assistant bit off a curse. The man's words were true. No matter the skill or speed of The Mayor, Captain, or the guards, they would still need to move tens of meters in the span that one of the prisoners needed to move a knife wielding hand right into someone's jugular. Of course, that was only the case if they managed to get a foothold here in the first place.

"Hey. We're gonna be here for a while, right? And all the ladies went with the other group?" The man's words gave the Assistant a bad feeling.

"Yeah, what of it?" another man replied.

"Well, we got all these poor women just lying here. And I don't know about you, but I'm feeling particularly stressed today. What's say we relieve some of it?"

The man's words made the Assistant's mind cloud, and before he knew it he was leaning against the door-frame and was speaking loudly as if someone far braver than he thought he was had taken control of his body.

"If you guys make a single move against these people," he held the tip of the scalpel straight towards them, "then I'm going to cut open your goddam throats."

What was he doing? He couldn't figure it out. However, that small voice in his head finally told him. He was acting like the man he thought of as a father. He was acting like The Mayor. Like the brave adventurers he'd heard about as he sat on the great warrior's lap as a child.

"Well lookie here! We've got a live one. Sorry kid but… Wait a second. I know you. You're The Mayor's little follower ain't ya? Well, I seem to be short on chances to take out my anger on him, so I think you'd probably be a good substitute."

The Assistant knew that what he was doing was stupid. That he'd probably die from this. But at that moment, he didn't care. Because for once in his life, he wasn't sitting behind a desk, or running messages back and forth. He was a hero.

And as he stood his ground and held the scalpel tightly in his hand as the seven men advanced, he knew that no matter how things turned out that he was determined to make his adopted father proud.

"FREEZE!" The Captain shouted as he burst through the doors leading into the large room containing the three giant Heat Crystals that slowly rotated on the large contraption that had been set up long before anyone that was in the room had been born.

Set up by the Demon Lord that had created the island in the first place, the three crystals worked in tandem to heat up the entire island to a livable temperature for both land-bound monsters and humans alike. Using a console of various switches and buttons, one could control the output of heat throughout the entire island, and was absolutely necessary for the survival of everyone on the island. Without them, the cool breezes that incessantly blew against the fortress would suck away all of the heat and leave those living there only a few degrees above freezing. It was what let the people live there in the first place, and maintained the perfect temperature for human habitation. And if it was ever destroyed, living there would be exponentially more difficult until it could be repaired. If that was possible.

And so it was with this caution that the Captain had to make sure to take the prisoners out quickly, but not so fast as to scare them into doing something stupid that could damage the crystals or knock them out of the large harnesses they hung on.

"A-And why would we do that?" a prisoner called out. He quickly glanced at the group that were busy trying to knock down the door that led to the food storage area. However, the door leading there was made of solid steel, and was far more durable than the one from before that was made from very durable but still wooden materials.

"Because if you stop now, then I'll just take you in. But if you continue to resist arrest, then I'll cut you down where you stand." However, the Captain's words seemed to have the opposite effect, and the eyes of every man there hardened.

"Oy. Guys. He's alone. And we can't take down a bunch of guards at once, but I'm sure we can take down their leader if he doesn't have backup."

The prisoners began advancing, and the Captain knew that he would have to move quickly.

"Come here you-" the closest man barely had time to talk before the Captain's sword came swinging towards his face, and the sound of the face of the sword smashing against his skull rang out through the room, followed shortly after by the man falling to the ground unconscious. The men behind only faltered for a moment, and quickly twenty one men and women started sprinting towards him. He idly noted that one of them, the one who had spoken, instead turned and began running towards the control panel for the Heat Crystals.

What happened next could only be described as a slaughter, though the lack of blood lessened the impact the show would have on anyone watching. A thrown punch was instantly countered by the Captain slapping the fist away with one hand and throwing an armoured palm strike against the owner's solar plexus. A woman's tackle was met by the man simply stepping to the side while grabbing her by the neck and then throwing the attacker at another two prisoners.

However, the whole thing took time. Time that the one man not engaged in the brawl took advantage of as he climbed up the ladder leading to the Heat Crystal control area. And just as the Captain knocked the last man to the ground, he heard the prisoner shout.

"HEY, CAPTAIN! Remember me? I'm the one that you went and forced my own brother to arrest! You know, I've waited a long time for this. Sure, I might not be able to kill you on my own. But I can definitely-"

The Captain's face remained stony, even as he flooded his legs with Spirit Energy and shot himself up to the small cockpit like area. However, just as he was leaving the ground the prisoner seemed to try and fiddle with the controls and the Heat Crystal that the Captain thought he would miss suddenly sped up and he felt as it smashed into him and knocked him off of his trajectory. Before the prisoner could even laugh however, he recovered and landed on the ground neatly before launching himself back up, this time making sure he wasn't in range of the crystals. This time he didn't even try and hide the grin of pleasure he felt as his fist landed on the man's face, knocking him to the ground in a groaning heap.

"CAPTAIN!" a voice shouted, and turning to the entrance he saw The Mayor running through the large doors.

"I'm sorry for my delay. We've gotten the fire stopped, and we found the one who had started it in the first place. One of the guards. And apparently a relative of one of the prisoners. Now, I see you've… Hold on. That's twenty… two. Yes, twenty two in all. Taking away the one that we stopped, and the one that was sick, that would still leave seven unaccounted for. Where are… The medical area!"

Both the Captain's and the newly arrived Mayor's eyes widened, and both shot towards the passageway, though The Mayor led as he was already on the ground and quickly went through the small tunnel even as the Captain was landing from his jump off of the control system. However, the Captain was still turning the corner as he heard a shout of complete and utter rage come from the normally peaceful leader, and the sight he came to was one that filled him with sadness.

Four men lay dead, still bleeding from slash wounds easily visible against their arteries. However the other three leaned against the wall and seemed completely shocked by The Mayor's shout of rage. And why he was angry was clear.

The Mayor's Assistant lay dead in the middle of the floor, his frail body bleeding and covered in wounds and while his face was still intact the back of his skull was clearly caved in. He was dead. And off in the corner was the Doctor, tied up and gagged, and who had probably been forced to watch the whole thing play out in front of him.

"Mayor…"

"Leave me Captain. I want to have a word with these men."

"But sir-"

"LEAVE ME."

"...Yes sir."

Turning around, he quietly walked back to the area with the heat crystal, and jumped up to the control area. He was surprised to find that the man he had knocked out was now sitting upright, though leaning heavily against the wall.

"Ha. Wonderful. Perfect really. I heard his scream from here. Dunno what happened, but I bet he's mad. Real mad. Now, I think I need to tell you something before you continue here mister Guard Captain."

"And what in God's name is that?"

"I peacefully surrender, and I will face my crimes and accept any judgement you have. And by the will of God, let all crimes be punished humanely but justly so that those men can one day return to their fellow brothers and sisters and continue to spread God's beauty through the world."

The man only got silence in return.

"What's wrong? Arrest me!"

However, the Guard Captain only drew his blade.

"H-hey! I'm surrendering peacefully here! I know the laws, and you don't have the right to hurt m-"

"Shut. Up." The Captain's eyes were unyielding.

"I-I don't- You can't do this you know! It goes against God's teachings! There is no place in Heaven for the damned!"

The Captain closed his eyes for a moment before opening them, a dark look clear in his eyes.

"Well then. I suppose that I'll have a spot reserved for me in hell."

With that, he swung his sword, and then jumped back down, calling out to The Mayor as he did so.

"SIR! PERMISSION TO ENFORCE THE RULES SET OUT BY YOU, THE COUNCIL, AND GOD TO THE FURTHEST EXTENT POSSIBLE?"

Silence greeted him, before an angry voice replied that was both quiet yet filled the room he was in completely.

"Permission. Granted."

The Captain turned to the group of men on the ground, many unconscious and all hurting from their new wounds.

"If I'm going to hell… then I'm not going to lose the chance to enjoy this far more than I should."

And with that, he approached the first man lying on the ground, and thrust his sword at the prisoner's chest.


	17. Chapter 16 - Gyre

Chapter 16 - Gyre

 _Wandering the desert, and really it seemed more like we were wandering more than we were actively traveling, is a lot different from wandering through the forests. And I don't just mean that it's sandy. See, when you're going through the forest you can kind of learn where you're going. I mean me and my boyfriend could at least, though my brother was horrible at it even on his best days, but in the desert there are no landmarks around. No easy and comfortable ways to escape someone chasing you like hiding in a tree or diving into a bush. And no way to use the environment to your advantage in a fight. Sure, we wouldn't lose each other since there's not really any way we can hide from each other even if we wanted to, but that didn't mean that we felt safe there. There were some monster dens that we didn't even know were there until a Girtablilu suddenly sprung up and tried to shove its stinger through one of our chests. Got pretty annoying, but we learned to live with it. Especially since we could usually clear those dens out afterwards for our own limited use. Though we only stayed near the entrance where the density of the Demonic Energy was the lowest, and we usually just had my brother smoke out everything that might be inside. Dunno how well it worked, but we actually had another couple monsters barely stumble out as they choked to death. Even got an incubus once, and my boyfriend dealt with that guy pretty harshly. Yes, I was implying that he killed him. You know, I really should be more disgusted with you only caring about the former human dying, but I'm really not in any position to criticize you on that issue._

"Headmaster, what do you think? Can you repair it?" The Dockmaster asked his fellow Council member as the two stared at the large Heat Crystal that was visibly falling out of the giant harness that would normally keep it up. The fact that it falling out was all that happened was a miracle unto itself after the Captain's body had smashed into it while trying to take out all of the criminals. As it was, one of the giant straps holding its diamond body in place was hanging loosely while the others seemed to barely be able to hold up the crystal's weight by themselves.

Normally such an important conversation would definitely need to be held with The Mayor attending, but the two were leaving him alone for a while until he finished grieving for his son. Until then, the Dockmaster assumed his role as the Captain was busy trying to get the civilians to calm down after the fire and the quickly spreading news of the break out of the prisoners.

"I can set the thing back into position, that's not the problem really, but the fact of the matter is that it was knocked out of alignment at the same time the controls were being fiddled with. The three crystals need a sort of resonance between them to actually work correctly, and the strong impact while their energy levels were being adjusted completely threw that resonance off. I can expect that it'll go back to normal at some point, my best guess being anywhere from two to three weeks, but until that point this thing is only going to have two different settings. Full blast, or completely off."

The Dockmaster stayed quiet for a few moments, before seeming to decide something. "Right, is there a way to make it turn on in intervals?"

"Yes, I know what you're getting at, but the intervals have a minimum of two hours between switching on. They can be turned off at any point though, so only actually switching them from off to full blast will have a cool-down period. Er, pardon the pun."

"Ha. But back on track, exactly how hot is one hundred percent of its power? Enough to boil water?"

"More like enough to set the goddam water on fire. Well, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but basically it's hotter than I can figure out with any of the tools I have here. The Demon Lord who set the damn thing up used some kind of weird measurement system based on the temperature of a specific part of the ocean floor during the Winter Solstice. Seemed to have tried to implement it pretty hard if the leftover literature here had anything to say about it."

"I see. Then do a test run over in some abandoned room, and see how long it takes to get to an unbearable level. Then try and figure out how high we can make it go before we need to shut it off again. Hopefully the two hours of no heat won't be too cold for the populace."

Though the two didn't word it out loud, they both knew that they were thinking of the mostly the prisoners when they said that. The medical area had served as such a good place for healing because it was right next to the heat crystals and was kept at a perfect temperature due to its close proximity, meaning there was no loss of heat during its travel through the islands. Usually, the warmth would move from the three crystals to the rest of the island through special magical channels that existed as part of the rock the island itself was made of, but that there was some loss as it moved around, with those that were further away getting less heat than those that were right next to it. They could even adjust two of the rooms to have specific heats at all times during the day, when the Heat Crystals were working properly at least, which meant that the close proximity coupled with the constant heat levels made it the perfect place for those who were sick to focus all of their energy into getting better rather than staying warm. However, with the loss of the constant heat in the medical area, they'd lose that one advantage they had over the illness that had spread around.

"Alright Dockmaster, mind getting some of the fishermen to gather as many of their spare blankets as they can? We need the sick to stay warm, and honestly that's the best we'll be able to do as we are."

The Dockmaster nodded in response, and as he walked away the Headmaster let out a small sigh. He knew that it wasn't the best time, but he had to talk to The Mayor at some point.

"No. Go away." The Mayor said as he silently stared out one of the windows in his office overlooking the rest of the city. There was no smoke from his pipe floating around, nor any bottles of alcohol littering the floor, but if they had the resources to afford it the Headmaster had no doubt that the room would be full of the stuff.

"Look, the people need your guidance. All they saw was you angrily marching into this tower of yours, and then not coming out. They're confused, scared, and angry. They need a leader they can follow and feel a measure of safety around."

"My son is _dead_ Caster. You don't understand…"

The Headmaster stood there for a couple of seconds, not quite believing what he just heard, before the rage forced itself out of him and into his words.

"Don't… understand? Look Blade, you're not the only one who's hurting. My son is dead too. He died, and there was nothing I could do about it. I wasn't even around to hear his last GODDAM WORDS! So why in hell should your case be any different? I grieved, yes, but I'm not still wallowing in my sadness! You need to be strong for everyone here. And what you just said isn't fair to me, or anyone else on this island. Now. Take. It. Back."

The Mayor didn't move a muscle, and that only spiked the Headmaster's anger higher.

"ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME?"

"Yes." The Mayor turned and faced the Headmaster, and he finally saw just how _broken_ the city's leader now appeared to be. "And I get why you're angry at me. I do. But do you want to know how are situations are different?"

The Headmaster was now slightly taken aback, but The Mayor continued despite not receiving an answer.

"It's because you are the Headmaster of the school. You are the leader of the mages here. And yet you did everything you could to stop the riot and bring the people back to their senses. But do you know who I am? I am The Mayor. I am the people's hope. I am their leader. I am their... protector. And I've been living like this ever since I took this position so many decades ago." The Mayor now had tears running down his cheeks, and his face was contorted in grief. "I am the Blade of the entire town! Their sword and shield! I am supposed to be their protector. KEEPING THEM SAFE IS MY ENTIRE _FUCKING_ JOB! AND I COULDN'T EVEN SAVE MY SON!" Angrily, the man threw a small wooden stool across the room, and watched it shatter against the stone wall. "WHAT… What use am I? Can I do this at all? Everyone thinks that I have the answers, that I'll always be on the front lines when the going gets tough, and will always be the last to retreat. But that doesn't matter if I'm still going to get everyone I love killed."

The Headmaster stood silently as his leader let out the rage he had been trying to repress inside of himself that had been slowly building up ever since the first of the citizens had died after the military evacuation. He didn't have a 'right' answer. Maybe someone else did. Maybe he himself could figure it out if had time to sit down and think about it. But as he was, he didn't.

"Blade," he began, haltingly but slowly gaining confidence as he spoke, "do you know how I got myself out of my grief? The grief of knowing that my only child had been killed? I asked myself what my son would have wanted. I asked myself if he would be happy knowing that instead of… of helping everyone else who lived in the city I was instead hiding myself away from those who cared about me. Away from those who _needed_ me. I knew at that moment that I was not done grieving for him, but that I still needed to move on. Because even if he had died, that didn't mean his story, his legacy, was over yet."

He fell quiet, hoping that The Mayor understood. And the small smile that he saw on the man's face filled him with relief.

"Yeah. I guess… He wouldn't want me standing around like this. There's still work to do. People to help, and monsters to fight. Dear lord, I can imagine the dressing down he'd give me. One probably worse than the ones he would give me when I tried to skimp on eating my vegetables. He was such a mother hen, you know? I… I can hear him right now. Telling me that what I'm doing isn't how a proper leader should be acting. 'Just because I'm not your boss doesn't mean I'm not going to tell you what to do.' Ha, he started to get so quiet once he realized that we were trapped here."

The Headmaster stayed quiet. He knew that he shouldn't interrupt.

"I actually promised that one day I'd take him to the mainland. Was planning on it. Maybe next year. Or the year after that. Once I had found someone who could hold onto the reigns while I was gone. Caster…" The Headmaster looked up at that. "Do you think… do you think he's happy where he is now?"

"Blade, I know that he's watching you from heaven. And I can say that he's definitely happy. But I also know that he's probably pretty annoyed by you right now."

"Ha, you know you might be right about that. Okay, I think… I think I'm done. Not forever. But for now, I'm done. Now, what was it that we needed?"

The Headmaster shifted his footing awkwardly. This wouldn't be a fun conversation.

"Well, that wasn't a fun conversation." The Mayor said, a tired look on his face. "So the we won't be getting heat into and around the city for the next couple of weeks. The only bright side I can think of is that the storm already passed. If it had come when the Heat Crystal set-up had been disabled… We can't afford to just burn the wood on the island. We only have so much, and even then it has to be taken from destroyed ships and houses. Every plank we use to keep warm is one that we can't use for anything else ever again."

"Yeah," the Headmaster said, "but thankfully the sun still warms us all up in the daytime. But it's the night that I'm most worried about. The winds are going to be sucking the heat out of the island, _fast_ , and if it gets cloudy things will be just as bad."

"Well then, the best thing we can do for now is keep everyone well fed. More energy in their bodies means more energy that can be used to keep them warm. And so…"

"Let's go monster hunting. Or I guess trapping would be the better word for it here?"

The Mayor shrugged, a small smile on his face at the idea of a good meal. And with that, the two walked out the door.

"Everyone in position?" The Captain shouted, his voice filling the docking area.

A young city guard nervously squeezed and relaxed his grip on the crossbow he had taken from the rack back at the barracks, and quickly too a basic look at it. No cracks on the lathe, string didn't have any signs of fraying, catch was… still there. This was actually the fourth time he had looked over his equipment in the past five minutes, and though he knew nothing had changed his nerves demanded that his hands be busy and he readily complied with them. This would be the second time that they were going to do this, but this time he wasn't so far away. He was with the closer group, and this time the Headmaster, and two mages they had that weren't sick, managed to cast some sort of scent removing spell and had placed a sound muffling one over the entire dock. It wasn't very strong, as they still needed to wait for the vocal signal to know when they needed to fire, but it was enough to make their heartbeats inaudible to the monsters. Or at least that's what they hoped would happen. Unfortunately no one had ever done a direct study on the limits of the physical senses that the mersharks and other higher class monsters had, so they could only go by trial and error and simply hope that they had covered all of their bases. One advantage they _did_ have however was that the monsters outside didn't exactly know what had happened to their comrades on the inside.

"Right, we're opening the gates in two minutes! Cock your crossbows!"

With a mechanical movement, the guard took the small rope they were issued to help with the cocking and quickly pulled until he heard the comforting *click* of the string getting captured by the latch, and smoothly placed his hands into the correct position just as he had been drilled to. The next couple of minutes felt like hours to him, but when the man spoke again, with the ringing of a bell accompanying his voice, it was like no time had passed at all.

"Outer gate is opening! Load your bolts!"

The guard slipped his hand into the small bolt holder at his side and withdrew a small cylinder of steel from it, before placing it in the small loading dock and then putting his hands back into the correct firing position. He knew that it was expensive, they all were with the anti-rust and strengthening enchantments that they had all received and some considered that the bolts themselves were just as or even more expensive than the actual crossbows they were using to fire them, but that didn't mean they were something to be left to sit on a shelf as a centerpiece all day. That was saved for weapons. Not the ammunition itself.

"Alright, here they come! Wait for the signal!"

With his words, the bell began to ring again, and as its sound faded away he thought he could hear the loud creaking of the gate doors as they swung inwards. What unnerved him, just as it had last time, was the fact that even though the primal part of his brain told him that there was something coming closer, maybe the way the air moved or some unheard audible signal causing it, he couldn't actually hear the creatures as they moved through the water. Like when you were alone and suddenly felt like something was in there with you. But in his case, there _was_ something there. And all he could do was wait and listen.

However, that was when he heard three sudden splashes from the water, and his body instinctively froze up as he heard the voices of three of the monsters begin start chatting to each other soon after. And despite his knowledge of what they did to people, he felt a guilty feeling well up inside of him as he listened to their very human like voices while knowing what he would soon be doing.

"Uh, anyone out there? Why're we all alone?"

"Heeeeeyyyy. Anyone here? Ugh, you'd think we'd get a welcome party or something."

"Feh, I wish. They're probably all busy with their husbands or something. Oy, you girls coming up or what?"

After her words the guard began trembling in fear as he heard many more splashes come from the water in front of the docks. So many that they all blended into each other and he could figure out how many new monsters would be up on the docks. Hopefully that would be all of them. The Mayor himself told them about how the monsters usually acted when faced with something they desired greatly, and the monsters would definitely not let the others of their kind come out ahead by letting them go first, even if it might be the smart thing to do.

"Oy, sharky, anyone around?"

"Don't call me sharky fish-face! And, hm, I don't really know. Kind feels like there might be, but I can't tell."

"That… That doesn't help at all!"

"ALRIGHT, MARK YOUR TARGETS AND FIRE AT WILL!" The Captain shouted, his words completely shattering the mood that the monsters had created and grounded the guard from the slight lax emotional state he had fallen into while listening to the monsters' banter. And with the shout the guard also found his body automatically rising up from behind the crate he had been crouched behind the whole time and swung up his crossbow to point at a m-

He abruptly angled his weapon to the monster on the right of his original target. He knew that sometimes the monsters would look like loved ones both living and dead, and the one he had initially seen looked too much like the older sister he had lost to the sea so many years ago. And as he pulled the trigger just as the monsters were turning around to face the group of armed men that had seemingly popped out of nowhere he felt a small relief, as his bolt flew to one that looked less like his sibling, that someone else was firing towards her instead. No. Towards _it_ instead. Not her. It. It.

"Right, the men are currently bringing the bodies up to us in the processing hall," The Mayor said to the Doctor, Dockmaster, and Quartermaster. "I know you aren't a specialist in marine life, Doctor, but the Dockmaster can help you. All we need you to do is take the Baker's old job and just separate the bits that resemble those of a human's and place them in the cart designated for incineration."

The Doctor nodded his head, though noticeably hesitantly,, and walked over to the end of the line of fishermen who would be cutting open, deboning, and separating the organs from the monsters in a style quite like a small factory.

"I'll leave you, Dockmaster, to oversee the operations, and you, Quartermaster, to keep a tally on what we have. Just like last time."

The two nodded and went to their posts, just as the first of the monsters landed at the start of the conveyor belt like mechanism and The Mayor turned to leave.

And with everyone preoccupied by their work, no one noticed as the Doctor's face grew more and more pale as the organs of the monsters rolled in front of him, and his hands became more and more shaky as time went on.

The Mayor would later reflect that if someone had noticed, and taken the time to talk with the Doctor, the next day's events could have been avoided. Or, at least, one of them would. After all, the man's death wouldn't be the only thing that would soon shake the city to its core.


	18. Chapter 17 - Dewdrop

Chapter 17 - Dewdrop

 _So after wandering the desert for about a week we finally came across a city. Or rather, a village. It was a small thing, and it turns out that our arrival came at the perfect time, as there was a small group of Girtablilu out in the sands, and a scout had reported that they might be building up for an attack. And in fact, it was just along the path that we came! Yeah, turns out that there were actually about like four or five of them, and we had taken out three. Really doesn't seem like as much now. I mean we must have only killed like ten, twenty tops. But we stayed in the village. They gave us some food, shelter, and in return we basically slaughtered the group of monsters that tried to attack in the middle of the night. Honestly, they seemed just so confused after we killed one of them. Honestly, sometimes it seems like they don't really understand that they can die in combat and stuff! Wait, what? What do you mean they usually don't? Hold on, who's on their side? Are… are you joking? Wow. I… That actually explains a lot. And not in a good way mind you. Man, I need a second. I didn't know that could actually happen. I… damn. To think Ares itself got corrupted… Yeah, I'll keep going in just a bit. I just need to think. And maybe send a message to the Order. What? Oh yeah, I'm definitely still on their side. Well too bad, suck it up._

"I know that you all just ate lunch, and that you're probably hoping to get back to work, but I gathered you all here today to…" The Mayor trailed off as he noticed the absence of the Doctor among the gathered Council members, but then shook away the thoughts. If the man was preoccupied with a patient and wasn't able to come, then that was that. He was allowed to miss the meetings if it meant that the sick citizens could get better. After all, it was his efforts that had allowed over forty men and women to return to work. However at the same time he knew that another fifty had passed away over the weeks. It was something that everyone tried to keep off of their minds, but people just kept getting sick. And even though they had all received a big meal just yesterday, the difficulty in keeping the forty additional citizens that were sick at the moment alive despite the loss of the only reliable heat source was high.

"Well anyway, apparently our resident Botanist has made some interesting observations on the state of the algae pools." His head turned to only woman among them, and she nodded and began speaking.

"So it's like this. Before that whole thing with the prisoners I had a couple of the pools cleaned out. Specifically, the ones that were infected. Then, I tried filling up a large empty barrel with fresh water and throwing a mix of the old algae, which I had thoroughly dried, and some from a couple of clean pools. We got results just this morning, and it looks like the sickness traveled through the algae even though it had already died. That would normally wouldn't help too much alone, but we actually ran one more experiment before that one. We took out all the algae from one of the pools, and God that was a lot harder than I thought it would be at first, and then we basically boiled the water in the entire basin. And when we threw some clean algae in, it didn't die off."

She finished her little speech with a smug smile and an expectant look in her eyes. After a few seconds of silence, The Dockmaster gave in and asked her, "Oh. Wow. But what does that mean?" in an almost monotone voice.

"Well," she replied, "that means that the algae killing disease probably only travels directly from algae to algae. If we get rid of all the water and algae in the infected pools altogether, then we can reuse them after heating them up for a while to kill off any of the sickness that remains." At that, the Accountant snorted.

"Yeah, that sounds like a wonderful idea. We can just boil all the infected pools and kill off whatever is killing the algae that way! Sounds like a great idea. Except there's two problems with that little plan of yours. First, we can't exactly boil the pools if we don't have the Heating Crystals anymore, can we? And why didn't we just dump it all at the start anyway? Wouldn't that have been a better use of our time?"

"That would be my fault actually." The Mayor said. "I had believed that simply throwing away all the algae would be a waste of resources, so I asked her to hold simply throwing everything away as a last resort. They had already grown to the point of giving their maximum returns over time I knew that it would take time for them to regain their former size, so if she could find a way to cure it then we could keep what we already had without losing anything more. Though, if it is impossible to use those pools anymore then I suppose it was a bad idea in the end."

"Not a bad idea if we hadn't lost the Crystals. And-"

"Aaaand I hadn't made my second point!" the Accountant said, interrupting the Botanist as she tried to reassure The Mayor that his decision wasn't as bad as he made it out to be. As she tried to stop herself from shouting, his next words surprised her.

"My second point is that there might still be an incubation period for the disease. Might cause the disease to not show up for a few days or weeks unless some condition is met. And I doubt we'll be able to figure out what that is."

"I'm… I suppose maybe? B-But you're a pencil pusher! How do you know anything about plants?" the Botanist whined, though she would never admit it.

"I'm stuck on an island, with nothing to do. I try and help out when I can, but when I can't? Then I just read stuff. Like that book on diseases in the Library. Sure it talked about what humans and animals could catch a lot more than it did plants, but I assumed that some of it carried over. And from your reaction I'm right, aren't I?" He finished with a smirk and the Botanist looked straight at him with a bit of anger. She did feel slightly insecure about what he had said however. She knew that her knowledge was valuable, but also that she could technically be replaced by a book. In fact, many experts could simply be replaced with a simple textbook if the raw information was all one needed, but if what you needed was the ability to actually put all that scattered information together and effectively use it then they were needed. Algae, as she soon found out after going through what she could find on the subject, wasn't something that needed a lot of direct care to maximize the yields. Especially since even if she wanted to, the island simply didn't have the equipment to actually pull that off.

"Well, if the disease's effects don't appear right away as its still dormant, just as the worst of the symptoms of those currently resting in the medical area didn't show up until a couple of weeks after they were first infected, then it might be possible that the algae we take from the pools we thought were clean could have just as much of the sickness inside them as well."

"I see," said The Mayor, "and I presume you have a way to get around this?"

"Well, I do, but honestly as long as we don't know the specifics of whatever is killing th-"

Before she could finish, the door leading to the meeting room slammed open, and a guard burst in panting like he had just ran an entire lap around the fortress walls.

"W-we have a problem! It's the Doctor! He's started yelling at the citizens!"

"Wait, what?"

"I, he, we saw him climbing up on one of the houses. We asked him to come down, but he just ignored us, and when one of the guards tried to climb up after him he was able to knock the guy down. We know we shouldn't try and hurt him, but he was up pretty high and if he struggles he might get hurt if we make him lose his balance and fall. What should we do?"

"Ok, go back a bit, he was yelling at the citizens?"

"Yes!"

"...Well what was he yelling about?"

"I, er, I don't really know. I'm just the messenger, and I kinda left without listening to him."

"Of course you did," The Mayor said while shaking his head, "Captain, come with me. Let's go get this mess sorted out."

The two stood up and quickly made their way to the door, the guard following after them nervously while the rest of the Council was forced to stay where they were.

When they first heard the sound of yelling, they veered towards it, but only seconds later they almost stopped where they were as they realized that it was the sound of a _woman_ yelling. And the Doctor was most certainly not a woman. And after a second voice began yelling, the two beginning a back and forth argument, it was clear that something strange was happening.

"Absolutely not! I can't believe you would lie to me about this!"

"I'm not lying! None of us were lying. I don't know what's gotten into the Doctor, but we were eating monster meat. You saw! The guards dragged in the damn things! How is this so hard to understand?"

"SHUT UP! I'm tired of this stupid island, tired of this constant hunger, and now I learn that I've been lied to! That I'm eating goddam _people_. You disgust me."  
The two ran to the pair of voices, and as they approached a man and woman, The Mayor recognizing the man as one of the fishermen native to the island, both stopped shouting and turned to the Council members.

"Hey, you!" the woman said, "I just heard, from one of _your_ men by the way, that what you said was monster wasn't. Give me one good reason why I should believe the lies that you're feeding us along with the people."

"I, I'm sorry. What in God's name are you talking about? Eating _people_? Where would you even get an idea like that?" The Mayor was slightly taken aback, but the woman's next words made his eyes open as he realized what was going on.

"The Doctor! The one that I entrusted my brother to. The one that saved my brother. He works for you, and I just heard from his very mouth that we've been eating human flesh."

"No. We're- We're not eating people. That's ridiculous. Where is he anyway? I got a report that he was shouting, but-"

"Up near one of the walls. Said he had something to reveal to the people and moved off of the house and over there once he made the guards back away after threatening to jump off the building if they didn't keep away from him."

"Right then. Captain, with me. I don't know what's going on, but there's something wrong with the Doctor. Let's find out why he's telling people this nonsense." The Mayor turned and leapt up onto one of the houses, foregoing the road as he had before in order to leap across the rooftops and reach his target faster. In only a couple of minutes, he saw a large gathering of people, with the Doctor standing on the stairs leading up to the wall. He wasn't shouting however, and was instead talking quickly but firmly and seemed to have a mixture of anger and sadness on his face. It was obvious even from the rooftops that those listening to him were feeling a combination of confusion, anger, and fear at his words, and after getting close enough to hear them the two realized why.

"I cut them open. I admit it, I did. And do you know what I found? I found that their organs, their flesh, and their blood was not tainted. It was not evil, or demonic. It was alive in the same ways that you and I are. It was _human_. Despite everything I had been told, the monsters were human. And at that moment, I realized the truth. That maybe there were some monsters under that pile of corpses that the guards so brazenly marched through the streets with. Monsters who hated us. But there were also people in that pile! People with dreams! They were not monsters, but people who simply had the outward appearance of them. I saw it with my own eyes, how they begged for life and how the soldiers cut them down anyway! How they fought to protect each other rather than fight for their own greed and lust! And I could only watch in horrified silence as the fishermen, the very people I thought were simply normal men and women like you and I proceeded to cut up their flesh and tear away their bones in glee. No, in ecstasy!"

"Sir, there is clearly something very wrong with the Doctor right now."

"Not just the Doctor. Looks like the whole crowd is getting antsy."

And they were. People were clearly getting caught up in his mood. Some were talking quietly with each other in fear, others were whispering angrily in heated arguments, and others seemed quite conflicted on what to believe. And with how the Doctor was mixing truth in with his lies, them believing at least a bit of what he was saying wasn't that unexpected.

"Right, let's stop him before things escalate any further. We should probably try and talk him down first. Let's not get violent unless we have to." The Mayor said, and the two leapt down onto the ground and begun walking towards the crowd, the people automatically parting as they approached, though out of respect or fear was unknown with the small frenzy they had been driven into.

However, even as they approached the movement of many of the members of the crowd caught the attention of the Doctor and he slowly took a few steps up the stairs even as his eyes met the Captain's and Mayor's.

"STOP RIGHT THERE!" he shouted loudly, drawing the attention of everyone to the pair, if they hadn't already been staring, and making the two freeze in their tracks. They hoped that he wouldn't do anything crazy and made sure their movements were slow and deliberate as The Mayor tried to calm the man down.

"Alright Doctor. We've stopped. Now we need to ask you what on earth you're doing. You're scaring these poor people, and you _know_ that what you're saying isn't the truth."

"On the contrary, I haven't said a single lie to these people. Something that I know you're quite unfamiliar with. But they deserve to know! Know that you've been feeding them people!"

"Doctor, that's insane," the Captain said as he rolled his eyes. "You saw the monster's corpses yourself. One of them had tentacles where its legs should have been for God's sake!"

"And Doctor, let's pretend for a second that it was people." The Mayor asked, with a slightly befuddled look on his face. "Where on earth would we even find that much meat? I don't mean to be morbid, but there if we had suddenly decided to start butchering our own people then we'd run out pretty goddam fast and there's no way no one would notice. And who would we eat anyway? The sick? No! We are giving them burials by fire! There are only ashes left."

The Mayor's words were a slight risk, knowing that the beginning of his small speech could have bad results if people only listened to the start and believed that he was somehow admitting that they were eating people. However, he knew that those words would _definitely_ catch the people's attentions, and so would be more likely to listen to the raw logic and reasoning that he followed the emotional opening with. He quietly breathed a sigh of relief as he saw the citizens around him seem to absorb his words and calm down slightly.

However, even as he spoke the Doctor seemed to get more and more angry.

"NO! No, I will not listen to these… these LIES anymore. When you made me cut open the body of the monsters, do you know what I found inside? I found exactly the same thing I found inside a human! I found a heart, a liver, a stomach, and more! It was not a beast under their flesh, but a person!" As he spoke, small bits of froth seemed to spill out of his mouth giving him an almost rabid appearance, and the crowd seemed to notice that as well, many of them backing away and looking at each other for comfort. There was something very wrong with the man.

"Look Doctor, the people who are still sick need your help. We still nee-"

"NO!" the Doctor shouted. As he turned and began running up the stairs, The Mayor and Captain quickly followed him, though they had to push by the small crowd and this slight delay allowed the Doctor to make it all the way up to the top of the walls just as the two men going after him leapt up.

Landing hard on the stone, the two rose to meet the Doctor's eyes but found that instead of nervousness or fear there was instead a sort of self satisfaction.

"You know," the Doctor said, "I think there's something wrong with me. My head, my body, my everything feels wrong. I had to sit there while those men killed your son, you know that? I couldn't do a damn thing. And that's when it hit me."

He fell silent for a few seconds, but after the Captain took a step towards him the man's eyes flicked over and the Doctor took a step backwards towards the edge of the parapets.

"Don't come any closer. Now as I was saying. I realized something very important. I had been seeing things all wrong. There are no monsters in this world. There are only people! People who's bodies have been twisted, yes, but in the end they're still people with families and friends. And we killed them. We ripped their flesh to shreds and feasted on them. And when I saw those men bash in your child's head, I had a second epiphany. That those monsters that the church is always telling us about? That's _us_. They've been warning me about the true monsters all along! Some of the people who swam into the docks… I didn't see them when they were still alive, but I could see the looks of horror and agony when they reached me on the conveyor belt. I could see their humanity."

The Mayor's eyes furrowed at that. "No, they aren't. They are not human. Some may look like a human, and they may be able to feel pain, but that doesn't mean that they think or feel the way we do. They are fundamentally different, on a biological and emotional level. And you-"

"STAY BACK I SAID!" the Doctor shouted as he spun towards The Mayor and took another step backwards with his hand now resting against the stone. However, as his hand rested against it a strange look came over him.

"You know what I finally decided though?"

"Doctor…"

"I decided that maybe, if I have to face so many cruelties, and be surrounded by so many goddamn monsters up here… That maybe I could go where the real people were. Where the real humans were!" A look of joy comes over him, but his eye twitches slightly, something clearly very wrong with him.

And with that last exclamation, the man seemed to fall backwards with his hands outstretched.

"NO!" The Mayor yelled as he leapt forwards. However no matter how much Spirit Energy he pumped into his legs, there simply wasn't enough leverage on the ground to push off properly and he found his hands just barely missing grabbing onto the man's ankles. And as he scrambled to the edge, he could only watch as the man's body accelerated towards the ocean.

He pulled himself away before he could see the end. However, before he could even speak, a guard up on a nearby tower suddenly began waving his torch and the two quickly made their way over while trying to figure out what *else* was happening. Were the people rioting? Did a monster get in?

"Sirs! There's… Over there! A ship! There's a ship heading towards the island!"


	19. Chapter 18 - Oasis

Chapter 18 - Oasis

 _Okay, so where were we? Oh right. So we killed the monsters, saved the village, stayed there for the night, all that jazz. Honestly, our stay there was pretty uneventful. And they've probably abandoned the place by now. Either that or got overrun. See, it seems that running through the desert wiping out monsters can get you some unwanted attention. And unwanted attention meaning that it turns out there was a freaking Pharaoh and a pyramid nearby, and we met one of their Anubis messengers about half a day after leaving the village. Yeah, we were surprised too. Anyway, seems that the thing wanted to talk to us. We refused, because it could be a trap, and also there was the high levels of Demon Energy around those kinds of places, and we weren't exactly keen on getting corrupted. The Anubis didn't really freak out though. Seemed it had expected we would refuse, and instead it just gave us this map of the surrounding area. And what would you know, it had the locations of known monster dens as well as a couple arrows pointing to a big purple and red pyramid that someone had apparently hastily scrawled onto it. Yeah, they really weren't being subtle about what they wanted us to try and do. In hindsight, accepting the little quest was probably one of the most idiotic things we've ever done. I mean, in exchange it did point us towards a town that could help supply us for the journey and battle, but honestly it really wasn't worth the trade. Oh, why we accepted it at all? Well, to be honest the boys just wanted to 'save the world' and stuff. You know, normal guy stuff. And for me? I just wanted to see what it was like to kill an Apophis._

"What?" The Mayor asked out loud, half to the guard on the tower and half to himself, "that's impossible. We got reports that there have been monsters swarming everywhere between us and the mainland. No one should be able to get through, much less a single ship without an escort!"

"It's right over there though! I-I can see it with my own eyes!"

And indeed it was. Jumping up to the top of the tower where the guard stood, the man looking through a small spyglass towards the distant sea, The Mayor and Captain swung their gazes to follow the man's line of sight and after enhancing their vision they small speck they saw turned into a full blown ship. And it was quickly made apparent, as they watched it speed towards the island, that the monsters weren't giving it an easy time. The tiny figures of sailors scrambled this way and that as they tried to fight off the monsters that were constantly leaping out of the water and onto the deck, each of the men holding large poles that they used to simply shove the monsters backwards into the water. It didn't kill them, no, but the sailors seemed to have been experienced enough with them that they knew getting within grabbing distance would be tantamount to suicide against even the weaker monsters. And so, they had resorted to using blunt staves that they could use as bludgeons from range or to simply shove things away. An actual spear may have given them the chance to actually _kill_ a monster or two, but it could also get stuck in the wood of the ship or even in a monster and that would mean the loss of a sailor if the didn't abandon their weapon in time.

Luckily for the men on the ship, there weren't too many monsters jumping up at one time. Six men ran about, trying to fend off the intruders, but there were thankfully only at most four of them actually trying to drag the soldiers over. The Mayor briefly wondered why there were so few of them, but when he saw the boat suddenly tip slightly to the side before rocking back upright he realized that the rest of the monsters must be underneath the boat, trying to tip it over. However, there was still something wrong with the situation. Why weren't they simply sinking it? There didn't seem to be any mages aboard, or even archers, so why didn't the monsters breach the hull?

He shook the thoughts out of his mind. There was time for speculation later. As it was, the ship would still take maybe fifteen or even twenty minutes before it actually reached the fortress walls. Before that happened… well he'd need to talk to the rest of the Council. And he'd also need to inform them about the demise of their fellow council member.

"I'm sorry, did you just say that he's DEAD?" the Botanist asked, a look of shock and confusion spread plainly across her features, "That the one guy we had who actually knew things about whatever sickness has been slowly spreading across the island died like five minutes ago? By throwing himself off of the wall after going insane?"

The Mayor could only nod.

"Is… is this some kind of _joke?_ " she looked at the rest of the gathered Council, a short bark of laughter escaping her lips. It was clear by the fact that her nervousness was morphing into rage that she really didn't find the situation humorous at all. To her dismay, The Mayor shook his head while speaking.

"I'm sorry, but it is true. However, before we talk about what happened more in depth there is something else we need to discuss. Yes, I know that seems unbelievable, especially with the timing, but as of five minutes ago a ship was spotted off the western end of the city. It will likely arrive within fifteen to twe- er, I suppose ten to fifteen minutes. Now, we don't have much time, but I need to ask you all a question…

Do we let them in?"

The meeting room fell silent for a moment before the Dockmaster spoke up with a confused look on his face. "I'm sorry sir, but… Why _wouldn't_ we let them in? Why even ask us this? Of course we want you to let them in! I'm not saying that we're going to be rescued, but it's people! People with a ship, and probably stuff on it too! Why on earth wouldn't we want to help them? If they're out there, then they're probably in lots of trouble aren't they?"

"That is a fair point," The Mayor nodded, "but that does not change the fact that they should _not_ have been able to get this far. Forgive my callousness when I say this, but I do not think that we should help them. Or even let them in for that matter. Now before you say anything, let me explain myself. The ship _was_ being attacked by monsters. They were jumping up and rocking the boat from beneath, and the sailors on board were busy fighting them off. However at the same time, there were very few monsters actually attacking them and on top of that they didn't actually damage the ship at any time. I don't think I need to tell you just how suspicious that is."

The Accountant leaned back in his chair, an understanding look in his eye, but he gave a counterargument immediately.

"Just because they haven't sunk the ship or aren't throwing everyone they have onto the ship's deck- er, they were jumping on the deck, right? Right. So maybe there's something valuable in the ship they don't want to damage. Or possibly something volatile that will get them and the people on board killed."

"Hm, fair point there," The Mayor conceded, "but that still does not change the fact that very few monsters were actually boarding the ship. If there were enough to actually visibly rock the boat, then there should have been more than enough to swarm the sailors on board. Instead, they actually sent a smaller number of monsters than there were sailors. If they had simply matched their number, then I doubt that the humans on board would have made it this far with no way to back each other up."

"How much time do we have left?" The Headmaster asked.

"If you're getting antsy, then head up to the gate. Maybe you can help cover them with some magic spells."

"I'll do that."

Before The Mayor could continue talking, however, the Headmaster seemed to almost collapse as he was leaving his seat.

"What the- are you okay?" the Dockmaster asked, his eyebrow furrowing in worry.

"I… Yes. My legs suddenly felt weak for a moment. I'm fine now. Sorry, must have eaten a bad cut of meat." He waved off the rest of the concerned looks being sent his way and jogged out of the meeting room.

After a few seconds of silence The Mayor let out a small sigh and turned back to face the gathered Council once again.

"Now, there are two different possibilities here. The first is that the men on that ship are the luckiest people in the world. That they've somehow only attracted the notice of very few monsters, and those that are after them happen to be particularly unintelligent specimens."

"And the second?" the Botanist asked.

"The second is that it's a trap. For us. The monsters are intentionally going easy on them, trying to lure us into letting them in under false pretenses. Then, when the moment is right, the trap will be triggered and whatever they're planning to do will happen. And if they were smart enough to lay a trap like this, then the plan probably won't be that dumb either."

The Council fell silent for a few seconds, but The Mayor smacked the table loudly, though he them a stern look rather than an angry one.

"I'm sorry, but there's no time for quiet contemplation right now. We have… ten minutes now to come up with a plan. We can't sit on this all day. "

The Quartermaster stuck his hand in the air, a slightly curious look on his face, and The Mayor waved to him to speak.

"Yeah, so, we _know_ that it's a trap, right?"

"Well, yes."

"Then let's spring it. But, you know, be prepared."

"What d- Oh. Oh! I see."

"Okay," said the Botanist, "there was some subtext there and I think I missed it."

The Mayor nodded at that and quickly explained even as he turned to the window and stared over at the vast ocean. "Essentially, a trap is only a trap if the person or animal or monsters or whatever you're targeting doesn't actually know about it. The moment that the thing you're trying to trap actually _knows_ about the trap before it's sprung, it stops being a trap and becomes something that the target can simply bypass completely. Or use to their own advantage. For example, if a particularly smart fish sees a gill net and understands how it's used, then it can avoid the net completely. And on the other hand, it might try and scare other fish into the net to grab a free treat once they've been caught up in it. Or if it were a mershark, they could pull a fishing line as hard as they could and send the man holding the pole down into the water, turning the tables on the man completely. And that same strategy applies here. As long as we know about the trap, and they don't know that we know, then we can plan around it."

"Hm. Smart. And if they expect us to figure out the trap?" The Dockmaster had a pondering look on his face, though he seemed to understand what The Mayor was getting at.

"Well, in that case," The Mayor said with a resigned expression, "the trap itself was simply the bait for another trap. And though we might be able to figure out that _that_ was a trap too-"

"Figuring out that one might just be another trap, etcetera etcetera forever, and we just die." The Accountant stated flatly. "Eventually it just gets ridiculous though, and if your plan hinges on someone seeing through your trap, them _not_ seeing through it with no contingencies for that situation means every other trap you've set up that was supposed to happen after the first one is pointless, and the energy and resources could have been better spent somewhere else."

"That is correct," The Mayor gave a grateful nod to the man, which caused the Botanist to bristle in annoyance, "and the same thing applies here. Having one's real trap depend on the success of your target discovering your initial trap is risky. And if they act in a way that you didn't anticipate then your whole operation is a bust. So for now, with only… ten minutes left to decide, we can't assume that this is some incredibly elaborate set up. And if it is, then I don't know the exact details of this plan of theirs are anyway. Now, who is in favour of the Quartermaster's proposal? Assuming that he means that the Captain and I will be bringing the guards with us as well, of course. All for it, raise your right hand and say aye."

"Aye."

Six voices rang out, the only one against it being the Accountant who kept his arms crossed in front of his chest, and unhappy look on his face, and spoke up once everyone had dropped their arms back to their sides.

"Okay, I just have to ask. Why exactly are we letting them in? If it's a trap, then why not just keep the door closed?"

"Because," the Botanist said, a haughty look on her face, "even if it's a trap, that doesn't mean that those guys know it is. We'd be leaving them out for the monsters. It'd be like we're killing them ourselves."

However, the Accountant didn't even blink. "I fail to see your point. We let them in, and we take a risk we don't need to. We leave them out, and the trap doesn't get sprung in the first place and we don't have to worry. It's the safety of ten guys versus the safety of the entire city."

"Yeah, well I'm not a sociopath who only cares about myself!"

"Socio- What? I just said the entire city is at risk! Why're you saying that I'm just looking out for myself?"

"Because you're an a-"

The Mayor slammed his fist against the table, giving both of them reproachful looks. "This. Is not. The time. Leave your squabbles until later. The decision has already been made. Now I'm heading down to the docks. Captain, with me. The rest of you, see if you can get the civilians into a group and get them armed. Anything they can get their hands on will do. Just make sure they're ready. I don't know what the monsters' plan is, and I don't know what else they might use the sailors for, but be careful."

With that, he stood up from his seat and marched to the door, the Captain right behind him, and the rest of the Council rose as well.

They all had things they were assigned to do. And if they wanted the city to survive, they would do them.


	20. Chapter 19 - Coral Reef

Chapter 19 - Coral Reef

 _So we had to really prepare for the battle. And not just in the 'get some stuff that will temporarily repel Demon Energy' kind of prepare. See, we already knew that if we fought it on its home turf we'd be screwed. It'd overcome us with raw strength alone with all the Demon Energy around and with all of its followers just waiting to back it up at any time. So we had to do something that we had done so many times before. Me and my brother ran away and used my boyfriend as bait. I, uh, it sounds more heartless than it actually was. See, while people sometimes called us Heroes, we weren't really Heroes. More like just champions. And yes, I fully acknowledge that at that point we had become champions. People capable of not only fighting monsters, but pushing them back. Anyway, even though we weren't Heroes, that didn't actually stop us from saying that we were. Basically, my boyfriend would stand where the monsters could easily see him and beat all the weaklings that challenged him until their leader came out. Once that happened, he would challenge them to a duel with his 'underlings' and we would come up behind him. Like adding more food to an amazing looking dish that only enhanced the flavour. It worked like a charm every time. What? Oh god no. It worked this time too. He beat up a few Anubis and a Sphinx, and then we had to work together to take down a Pharoh, but soon we had the Apophis in our sights. Then, when it turned around to address its subjects before the duel was to begin, I shot it in the back of the neck, paralyzing it from the neck down, and then followed it up with another arrow through the brain when it couldn't muster up the magic to avoid the actually lethal blow. What? Who cares if it was anti-climactic, I won for God's sake! Seriously. Oh, why I used two instead of just one? Well, it was more fun that way. She probably only just realized what was happening before she died. You're right, it is a pretty tragic ending. Yeah, I hope that she appreciates it too._

The Mayor and Captain were standing on top of the western walls, the approaching ship and those on it now visible to even the two guards next to them who were untrained in the finer aspects of Spirit Energy manipulation.

"I can't believe it," one of them breathed quietly, "someone actually got all the way here."

"Oy, don't jinx it!" the other whispered, "Just 'cause they got to the fortress doesn't mean they'll make it back. Maybe they snuck past the demons on the way here, but you can't sneak past anyone if you're walking straight through their front door."

" _Our_ front door."

"Same thing at this point with how long they've been here."

The Mayor ignored the two men with the years of practice he had in disregarding the inane arguments of the Council, and stared closely at the ship as it came ever closer. The rest of the guards had already been gathered down in the dock where the ship would enter, while two had been kept with the Mayor and Captain in case of them needing runners.

Thankfully, it didn't seem like he would need them. Especially with the Headmaster making the ship's last minute of sailing far more easy than it would be normally. As it had closed in on the island, more and more monsters had begun climbing up and onto the ship with their numbers soon becoming double that of the defenders, and it was only the fact that the Headmaster was helping, and also the monsters getting in each other's way when trying to grab the sailors, that the ship hadn't already fallen. Even as he thought about this the Headmaster, up on top of the wall tower, created a trio of ice spears and sent them flying towards the monsters with pinpoint accuracy, then heading towards where their targets were about to be rather than where they were, and the mage's large amount of experience doing this kind of thing live on the battlefield was the only reason he could target them so.

Each of the icicle spears met their mark, but as if the Demon Lord itself was watching over them, their bodies were always contorted _just_ in the right position that it simply clipped them and sent the monsters flying into the water, rather than being directly pierced and killed. After the third time in a row it had happened, The Mayor chalked it up to outside interference. He couldn't tell how, or where, and even the Headmaster himself didn't seem to detect anything, but there was definitely something interfering. They were getting very close to the barrier however. Hopefully whatever magic was being used by the caster would stop once they entered its range.

"Captain. Guards. Let's head d- Wait. Is that… Hmm. Headmaster! Once they've entered through the gate, gather the mages and come down to the dock for support. Alright, you three, with me. We're heading to the docks." The Mayor turned and began walking down the stone staircase and the two guards and Guard Captain quickly began to follow him.

"Uh, sir," the Captain said, "what'd you notice? All I could see were the monsters attacking the sailors." Behind him, the two guards nodded in agreement, though The Mayor didn't see, not that it would have changed much if he did.

"Though it wasn't obvious, the sails were set to about sixty degrees, yet the ship was moving as if it was at twenty five degrees. That, and the fact that no one is actually adjusting the rigging despite the winds changing closer to the fortress means that they might be aware of this. Though if they're actually taking advantage of an unlikely situation, or know the exact reason why, which I'm assuming is monster intervention, I don't know. Whatever the case, that is proof enough that the monsters are directly involved in getting the ship to the city."

One of the guards tentatively spoke up as the group just reached the bottom of the stairwell.

"So you're saying… that the whole thing with the monsters is just a cover I guess? Like, they're only attacking the ship to look more convincing? But what if we didn't help out? Then they'd get overrun! Or if they didn't, then it'd be too obvious and we'd know, right?

"Yes, that's correct. Unless of course they had expected us to help them in the first place. Alternatively, they might have just not had more monsters jump on and hoped we wouldn't notice."

"But we would have!" the guard pointed out.

"Yes, but their gamble paid off, and now they get to have the added smokescreen. Thankfully, we saw through it in time. Or at least we saw through something else." The Mayor said.

By that point, the small group was now heading down toward the bottom of the docks, moving towards the congregation of nearly all of the guards. All the ones who were capable of fighting at least. However, even as the group came into sight The Mayor felt a pang of sadness. There had originally been nearly eighty guards before the military evacuation, but thirty two of them decided to leave, ending up with only forty six men to handle the entire island with the only saving grace being the lower population required fewer of them. However the months that had occurred since then had taken their toll, with nine of the guards getting and succumbing to the sickness that had begun spreading, though thankfully the other eight who caught it recovered safely. But this still meant that there were now only thirty seven, or thirty six rather with the imprisonment of the guard who had set one of the sectors on fire to help the prisoners break out, guards left to defend the entire island. Those kinds of numbers… even that many simply wasn't enough. And with the addition of a few no longer being able to fight properly due to injuries sustained during the riots, that meant that only twenty nine were capable of active duty, while those who couldn't fight were stationed as lookouts along the wall rather than gathering down in the docks.

"Did you set the net up again?" The Captain asked one of his soldiers.

The Mayor quickly stopped listening, knowing the Captain would handle things, and quickly took a look over the troops. Some of the men looked tired, but most seemed tense and ready. Not a single one looked scared, though having one of his city guards looking like a scaredy cat in the face of a possible monster attack would be shameful after they had already fought them twice already. And while a small amount of caution was needed, something that most would think they would have little of with their two easy wins in a row, they had been thoroughly drilled into the ground by the Captain and Mayor both. There was nothing better for making someone take things seriously than literally beating caution into their heads. However, their skills may be tested very soon if things ended up turning south.

"They're approaching the gate!" a voice called out from the stairway leading up to the surface, making the men tense up.

"Alright then. You heard the lookout! Open the gate!" The Mayor called out while signaling to the hidden area near the back of the docks, and the large bell began to ring as the outer gate began to swing open, though this was hidden from those inside by the inner gate.

Before he called for the inner gate to be closed, the outer one already doing so, the men all dropped their hands to their weapons, but The Mayor called out before they could fully draw them.

"Hold on! If this is truly a trap as we have feared, then let us not alert them to the fact we've caught on so easily. Keep your hands near your swords if you have to, but don't draw them unless we're actively attacked or I call to do so. Good? Good. Now-"

"The Headmaster has a message," the voice from before called out, "he says that the monsters stopped trying to climb on once the gate opened, and as far as he could tell none of them swam in with it!"

The Mayor and Captain looked at each other with confused looks. No monsters? But that would mean that none would attack as the gate opened.

The guards seemed to be split at the message as well, half of them seeming to relax, while the other half visibly tensed up as they realized that _something_ was going to come out of this new development, but not in a good way.

"Right, we can't leave them waiting for too long," The Mayor said, "so get ready. OPEN THE INNER GATE!"

With a loud creaking noise, it slowly swung open, and the sound of cheering instantly filled the ears of the gathered guards, and all of them grew small smiles at the sound of real people. People who were safe. Even if they weren't really. Knowing that this could help, The Mayor motioned to the Captain to stay quiet and not to stop them. If the guards looked like they had bought it, then those on board would be more easily convinced that _everyone_ gathered had.

As the ship came further into view, The Mayor's eyes quickly went over it. The wood seemed strangely dry. Unnaturally dry actually, seeing as they had just come out from the ocean. Magic? Possibly. But there was still something… off about it. He couldn't quite tell what it was though, and that had him worried. Second was the sails. They almost seemed like they didn't fit the ship. In fact, he was almost certain that they _didn't_ fit the ship. Like, they weren't fit correctly, or were even meant for the ship in the first place. Almost like they were taken… from… another ship.

The Mayor's heart almost stopped for a second as he realized the nature of the trap. But he knew he shouldn't show his hand yet. If he could get closer, find out more about how many were there, then he could take them out or rally the troops while the "humans" on board were getting ready to strike. Thankfully, those on board didn't seem to realize he had figured it out, not that he would expect they could have. The only sign he had outwardly shown was a sharp intake of breath and a raising of his eyebrows, involuntary actions that showed surprise but that could easily be seen as him just being relieved that they had survived at all and that was assuming they had noticed in the first place.

"We're saved! We made it!"

"I can't believe it. God, I can't believe it!"

"Praise God! Bless you all for your help!"

"HELL YEAH WE MADE IT! SCREW YOU MONSTERS! WE'RE THE BEST!"

Instead of shouts of anger or excitement at a coming battle, those on the ship loudly cheered as the boat drifted through the gate in joyous relief. Even to The Mayor, they sounded genuine. And that made it all the more terrifying. The Mayor quickly flicked his fingers twice, and he hoped that the Captain behind him had caught his hand signal. And hopefully he could pass it on to the rest of the guards. He would need to buy them some time. They needed to fall back.

The Mayor began walking forwards, gesturing to four of the guards to follow him, and stood near one of the docking areas as the ship slowly drifted over. Over the edge of the ship's deck, hanging over the small wooden railing, a man waved to them with one hand while holding four large ropes awkwardly in the other. The Mayor silently waved the guards forwards and just as they had been trained to do, they each grabbed a rope and ran over to the nearby moorings. Only fifteen seconds later and the boat was secured to the dock, and The Mayor told the men to go back with the other guards. However, with the knowledge that there were inhuman elements on board, he knew that he couldn't warn them of what was about to happen.

"Hey there!" he called to the only man leaning over the edge who had a small hood obscuring his features, "how's about you lower the gangplank? I want to see the brave men who got through the dammed waters with my own eyes."

"Ha! Absolutely! And thanks for the save! Didn't think we'd last much longer out there."

As the man spoke, his voice sounding calm and confident which The Mayor noted was _not_ how someone should react in a situation where they were almost just dragged into the ocean, never to see the light of day again. Nonetheless, he didn't react openly and simply waited as the gangplank was lowered, noting that there were a few barnacles stuck on the bottom of it. More evidence, not that he really needed further confirmation anyway.

It hit the ground with almost no sound, and he immediately began walking up it with a smile on his face. As his head rose above the deck's surface, his eyes finally landed on the man he had spoken to, who was now standing in the middle of the boat and had pulled down his small hood to reveal a young face with a very light scattering of hair on his chin. Five o' clock shadow at the most really.

As they began walking to each other with the man sticking his hand out, The Mayor quickly looked around as he grabbed it. Ten more men were on the deck other than the one he was approaching. All of them had hoods on, but a few had taken them off as they had been soaked with seawater and were drooping in front of their faces. It may have helped to keep water out of their eyes before, but now that they were calm it was a nuisance.

The two shook before their hands parted, and The Mayor immediately asked a question. He couldn't be drawn into a back and forth, or risk them attacking before his men were ready.

"So, you made it. Is this… Is this all the men you have?" The Mayor made sure to put on a concerned look and tone of voice.

"Unfortunately yes," the man said, we lost a few on the sea and had been working with a skeleton crew from the start. We didn't really expect to get caught up in that storm and turned around so badly. We got completely separated from the rest of our ships. Next thing we know, a monster has clambered onto the deck."

"I see. How'd you make it here anyway?" The Mayor asked, looking at each of the men while trying to assess their threat levels. The one on the right had something hidden underneath his shirt. Two somethings really, though they were small. Daggers probably The rest of them must be hiding their weapons behind their backs, as none of them turned away from him. He probably wouldn't have noticed if he wasn't already looking.

"Honestly, after the first monster got on deck we just tried to follow the wind to go as fast as possible to stop them from climbing on. Didn't get too many for a while, but then about an hour ago we started getting a bunch at a time. That was about when we saw this island in the distance and realized where we were. After that, we spent the rest of the time fighting the mamono off," The Mayor made sure he didn't react to the slip, "and now we're here. We have some fish from our trip, but honestly all we have left is the ship. You're still okay with us staying, right?"

The Mayor smiled. "Of course I am. We're humans. We help each other. And even more…"

He trailed off as he stared at the last man around them. The only one who had taken his hood off that he hadn't examined yet. And the man was staring right back at him as both of their eyes widened.

"You… I know you. You were one of the ones who disappeared with-"

"HE KNOWS!" The man shouted, and quickly slid his hand behind his back. With a small flourish, he pulled out a strange looking red blade.

Only a moment later he felt something grab his arm, and then all he could see was the ceiling as he was flung directly at the now shut tight gate before crashing into it with such force that it was as if he had been shot from a cannon.

"This your stop ladies, now go get 'em!" the man shouted, stomping three times on the deck while wearing a victorious smirk.

After doing so, the entire frame of the boat shuddered for a moment before all of the planks that made it up fell apart and the interior was revealed. Along with the just over one hundred monsters who had tightly packed themselves in. So many so that it that an observant man would note that it was impossible to hold so many in the ship at once.

And as The Mayor's body fell into the water after rebounding loudly off of the unyielding gate, the monsters swarmed over onto the deck and only half of the guards had enough of a mind to bring up their shields to block the initial blows.

"RETREAT!" the Captain shouted, gesturing for his men to fall back up to the surface.

And the monsters began to charge.


	21. Chapter 20 - Dewdrop

Chapter 20 - Dewdrop

 _So then we ran away. Like, really fast. Hey, we knew what was about to happen, and we were right. Only about five seconds after I shot the Apophis in the head and spilled its brains onto the hot summer sand, they came at us in force. Like, all of them. Though by that I don't mean literally everyone. I just mean, you know, all the gathered mamono. There were probably like a hundred or so in total, all gathered to worship the glory that was their "Glorious Leader" and stuff. Honestly, Apophis are basically just a cross between Lamia and Dark Elves. Who also have magic venom and try and control other monsters to take over the world, but that's beside the point. They're just powerful Lamia who are into some really kinky stuff. And I don't judge them for that! What? No, I do judge them, but it makes me sound more tolerant. So I still think they're fine monsters and all, but I was just disappointed with the whole thing you know? You hear so much about them, but they die like every other monster. What I've really wanted to try and kill would be a Shoggoth. Hear those things are wicked tough. But at the same time, my arrows wouldn't do anything to them so I'd have to rely on my brother instead. And I hate doing that. Hated doing that... Well anyway, we do this little thing where my boyfriend picks me up and I fire at whatever is chasing us while he and my brother just run. Works surprisingly well, and even the Apophis' followers eventually stopped. And then about a day later when we started moving towards the nearest city we were greeted by the same Anubis who gave us the map in the first place, and said that the local Pharoh wanted to meet us in person and 'reward' us all. We weren't buying it though, and thankfully the mutt didn't try and press the issue. She must have realized that trying to screw with the ones that killed her boss's worst enemy was a bad idea. And that's basically it. That was our entire desert adventure. Or at least the exciting stuff anyway. And yes, that's when we made the decision. I was nearly twenty by then, and we thought that maybe we needed a change in location. So we picked Zipangu._

Over one hundred monsters tore their way out of the ship's hull, the planks falling away like tissue paper by the sheer force of the many arms, fins, and tails smashing against it. However even as they began leaping up onto the stone docks, the Captain thought that there were fewer than they had initially saw. But was that an illusion? Or was he just not able to tell through the huge number of moving bodies?

The most likely answer was that at least a few had decided to ignore the guards altogether and had instead opted to take out The Mayor. If the man was even still breathing after the impact against the gate.

"Shields up! Phala- Dammit, Shield Wall! Make sure you have someone beside you at all times!"

However, even as the Captain shouted orders, four of the men simply turned tail and ran while using the other guards as helpful distractions. And though the Captain could hear them running, he had to keep his eyes on the approaching monsters. He couldn't take his eyes off them for a moment. And only a second after he thought this, one of the monsters in the front of the charge launched itself at the nearest guard as if its tail was a coiled spring and the man could barely get his shield up in time to try and block the worst of the impact. Unfortunately, a shield simply isn't able to stop the force of an attack, only stop the worst of the weapon being used from hurting the wielder. And it certainly wasn't able to stop the monster's sheer weight from bowling the poor man over and knocking him to the ground, and almost taunting him with its speech as the man lay helplessly under its strength and weight.

"Well aren't you a handsome one? We're gonna have a lot of fun, you and I."

The Captain bit off a curse as he began cycling Spirit Energy through his legs, and even as he flew at the large mermaid holding the man down he was rearing his leg back. A moment later and it was flying off of the man, the monster's next words cut off abruptly and turned into a choked cough. He would have used his sword, but there was always the chance that it could get caught on something or simply snapped against the monster's tough bones, and while his body could be enhanced to superhuman levels that didn't mean his sword magically got shaper or stronger. It was still just another chunk of steel. The only one among them with an enchanted weapon was The Mayor, a memento from his adventuring days, and the town's leader was… out of the picture for the time being.

He pulled the man up and pushed him towards the men who were now grouping together to better handle the tackles and he felt a great deal of relief when the man wordlessly slid into formation with the rest. However that didn't mean his job was done, as even as he was getting the man to safety he heard the surprised yelp of another man who had his shield pulled forwards by a monster, dragging him along with it as his body forgot to let go. And even as he repeated the same action as before, though with a quick grab and toss of the monster at a couple of others he heard yet another of his guards get isolated and brought down. He and his twenty-nine, well twenty five now with the deserters gone, wouldn't last here.

"FALL BACK!" he shouted to the group as he continued desperately trying to save his men, "STAY TOGETHER AND MAKE YOUR WAY TO THE STAIRS! YOU'LL ONLY SURVIVE WITH EA-"

His shouting was broken off by a mershark tackling him from behind, it transitioning the grab around the waist into one that had him being held by the wrist and thrown into the ground. Even while reinforcing his body with Spirit Energy, he could feel the wind get knocked out of him and it was only his years of training under The Mayor that had him instinctively throwing an arm underneath his body, allowing himself to stop the simple winding from instead having him end up in dreamland. It also gave him the opportunity to grab the mershark's own arm in turn and swing its unnaturally heavy body through the air in the same arc it had thrown him in. He knew that with its own monstrous resilience it wouldn't have died so easily from that. Optimistically, it would be out for the count for a while but it was far more likely to have just been stunned, and he took advantage of that by getting away from it as quickly as he could.

However, he ran not to the safety of the large group of men but to the next that had fallen to the ground, the four monsters who had taken him down as a group leering at him hungrily. And the Captain knew that, with them being so distracted, this would be the perfect time to help boost the morale of his men and hopefully keep the monsters at bay for a while.

The first one seemed to supposed to have been a lookout, but though its body was turned to the rest of the guards its head was angled towards the man and the Captain could see a small bit of drool coming out of its mouth. A monster's neck being exposed while not paying any attention? It was practically asking for it. And the man complied with the unspoken suggestion by drawing his sword and slicing straight through it's trachea.

For a moment it didn't seem to have understood what had just happened, but what it did next the Captain didn't know as he had already passed it by and was heading to the three who were holding the man down, the monsters being two scylla and a mermaid. One had already ripped the man's sword out of his hand and snapped the sheath off of his belt. The fact that they were still letting him hold onto the shield didn't mean he was overpowering them though, as the smirks on their faces told him that they were simply playing with him.

"For the Order!" the Captain shouted as he leaped through the air and landed straight on the back of one of the scylla, one foot on its spine and the other on the back of its head, forcing it to faceplant loudly into the ground and acting as a temporary shield for the man below. Then, even as the other scylla and the mermaid reacted, he swung his sword in a wide arc that let him create a large slash against the mermaid's chest, but one of the second scylla's tentacles reacted in time and diverted the attack, though the fact that blood began seeping from it quickly gave him the small comfort that it didn't do so without still getting hurt.

A second later after this maneuver was completed, the scylla whose tentacle had been cut desperately began scrambling away while whimpering, but the mermaid who now bore a large bleeding wound across its chest? It began to _scream._ So loudly, in fact, that the guards and monsters alike spun to look at the sight. And strangely enough, the monsters seemed to be momentarily paralyzed, none of them moving as they stared at the older mermaid who was desperately and fruitlessly trying to stop the bleeding. He had made sure it was deep. Even with a skilled doctor on hand, it would leave a large scar. And without one, in the middle of the battlefield?

The mermaid wouldn't be a problem anymore. But at the same time, he had only really taken out two out of over a hundred.

A great deal of pride welled up in him though when only a couple of seconds later a young scylla screeched in fear as it found itself sprouting a new cut along its arm, and the monsters all around the group of slowly retreating soldiers suddenly began letting up on the extreme pressure they had been previously putting on them. This development was… strange. Why retreat? Why show so much complete and utter fear? People had been being injured for weeks on end in the fortress, and the monsters were the cause. They didn't really expect that the humans stuck here wouldn't even _fight back,_ did they?

The small ball of rage that was building up in the Captain's stomach was forcibly quashed as the monsters suddenly began approaching the group differently and his focus returned to the battle at hand. Quickly trying to figure out what had changed as he pulled the unconscious scylla he had landed on off of the probably suffocating guard, he quickly noticed that a large empty circle had come into existence around him, he found that the monsters were now actively avoiding him and seemed to be still approaching the men by now doing it cautiously. Now while he would find that a great thing in most cases, it was the opposite here. The monsters would go slower, yes, but now he would have a _far_ harder time taking them out, or isolating those further away from the group. In fact, it was now sort of a mirrored situation on both sides as both groups were now fully aware that this battle had turned into one with lives on the line.

Immediately, the Captain brought the dazed man his sword and carried the man over his shoulder as he made a beeline towards the now more organized guards who had formed a sort of wall of shields around themselves. Each of them held their shields outstretched, and with them all standing side by side it looked quite intimidating, with this appearance only being further enhanced by the fact that the monsters who failed to draw away fast enough after striking at the shield wall found themselves sporting wounds. Not large ones, but even a papercut is a distraction that could become lethal on the battlefield. The Captain silently joined them.

After thirty seconds, the men furthest from the waters were now only at most a dozen meters away from the stairwells, but unfortunately they found that the monsters had completely surrounded them. They kept their distance, thankfully, but it made movement far harder than it needed to be. Especially since they had begun throwing things.

"Take that!" a mermaid shouted, a mischievous look on its face as it chucked a small seashell at the guards. Despite the fact that many of its companions were still quite scared, none of them seemed to be willing to back down and a few had become brave enough to find joy in striking back. Thankfully, it simply shattered on the wall, but another one thrown a couple of seconds later sailed over the heads of the men in front and clipped one of those on the other side of the circle on his gauntlet, making him momentarily flinch and almost create an opening for the monsters to get through.

The Captain began thinking furiously about what to do. Get too aggressive, and the monsters would start throwing larger things. They still had some crates lying around and with the strength of some of the monsters, seeing those things get launched through the air was less unlikely than he would have preferred. Furthermore, he knew that if they honestly all came at the guards at the same time, twenty at most would die, but the rest would swarm over the gathered humans like a wave over the sand. The Captain knew he was skilled, but ten monsters on one? He didn't like those odds. And there were a lot more than ten monsters here. He would have sighed and moped for a while if he had the time and energy, but the fact of the matter was that if there was a better option or some clever plan he could come up with, he couldn't do it under this much stress. He was a fighter, not a thinker.

And so, he and the rest of the guards had to simply continue what they were doing before and slowly gained ground, inch by inch, towards the stairs. And the Captain could only hope that his men's stamina would hold out long enough to make it there.

"Right, this isn't working at all! Hey girls, I got a new plan. Let's skip these bozos and get the humans upstairs why don't we?"

At one of the mershark's shouts, the Captain froze in shock. He had already failed the civilians twice. And both times, innocent people had died. He… he couldn't let it happen again. He _wouldn't_ let it happen again.

Twelve of the gathered monsters let out a quick call of agreement and, being forced to back one of his men up as two monsters almost succeeded in pulling at his shield while going for his legs, the Captain found himself helpless as he watched a dozen demonic creatures simply ignore the gathered guards entirely and ran up the stairs towards the people he had sworn his very soul to protect.

"NO!" he shouted. And to the surprise and dread of his men, the Captain turned around and began chasing after them, though slower than normal due to his constant use of his Spirit Energy already taking a toll on his body and so only just falling behind them.

The results of this action appeared immediately. Without the moral support of their commander, the men quickly became less confident and the monsters saw and capitalized on this change as the previously scared monsters suddenly became a lot more brave once the one who had killed monsters single-handedly was out of the picture. Without the man's skill with a blade, those who were previously relied on his back-up to hold off the areas with higher concentrations of powerful monsters found themselves being assaulted without rest. And without leadership, the men found that they could no longer figure out which side needed the most attention or how quickly to walk or run.

And only five seconds later, the monsters pounced and twelve men were dragged screaming away towards the water. A second after that, and the rest broke and ran. It was only their utter fear and desperation that let them get past the monsters who themselves seemed to be distracted by the screams of the men who were being dragged away and had hungry looks in their eyes as they contemplated joining in the feast.

As the men ran away, a monster who was carrying one of the twelve taken guards split off from the rest and began running towards the gate.

"Sorry ladies, but this one is all mine!" the mermaid called out while mockingly waving at the rest of the gathered monsters.

However, just as it was about to jump off of the stone platform and return to the waters the monster suddenly found that its upper body was flying away from its tail. Moments later, its body finally processed this and it began screaming until it was abruptly cut off by its head landing and being submerged in the water around the dock. The guard it was carrying fell to the ground with a small thump.

"You alright there kid?" a voice asked him.

"W-What?" the young guard replied, a bit dazed by the abrupt landing. But even as he pushed himself unsteadily to his knees his eyes fell on the water near the gate. And more importantly how it was stained a deep red. Far more red than the single monster that had dropped him could create.

"Hey, don't dawdle. Now, I have no idea how you've been doing since I got launched but clearly it hasn't been very well. Where on earth are the others?"

"S-Sir? Is that you?" the guard looked up at The Mayor, who was thoroughly soaked from his hair to his shoes, but still stood tall with a glint in his eye and his shining sword held out with its point towards the gathering of over eighty monsters. However, even as he kneeled there while quietly catching his breath, the guard could see a few more monsters heading up the stairwell. And from the tightening of his grip around the sword's handle, he could tell that The Mayor had noticed too.

"In the flesh. I hope you didn't think I was out of the count from a little bump on the head, did you?" he said, smirking in confidence.

"Well," another male voice called out, though this one noticeably more malicious in tone, "that's what we were hoping. But I guess we can't get everything we want, huh?"

The eleven sailors, or incubus rather and whom were all wielding demonic weapons, stood proudly on their ship with their true natures becoming clear as they ripped their false clothing off and revealed the demonic tattoos on their bodies. They arrogantly marched down the gangplank of their false ship, it somehow still staying perfectly afloat the entire time despite there being no hull to keep out the water, and the surrounding monsters cheered for them, filling the entire room with the almost rabid applause of the demonic beasts.

"We stayed back 'cause the girls asked us to. They wanted to do things for themselves. But with you back in the picture? I'm sure they'll understand."

"Well then. Prepare yourself. Guard, stay back. You'll just get in the way."


	22. Chapter 21 - Frost Flower

Chapter 21 - Frost Flower

 _So we were sailing along the seas, and we took a pit stop back home. We hung out with our old friends and family, met the new people who had moved in, and I grieved for a while after finding out about my dad. Not for too long though. After the second person asked how he died, I realized that it was probably cruel to his spirit in Heaven to keep telling people that the great and proud warrior had died of food poisoning. So we just had fun for a while. Oh, and my boyfriend proposed to me. So then we- What? Yeah, he did. Oh, we never actually got the chance to get married because, uh, you know. This. This whole thing we're doing right now. Anyway, we decide to finally move out to Zipangu after staying at home for a week and- Oh come on. Look, he proposed on the wall on the full moon as my brother made a small illusion around us to simulate fireworks and music. That's it. I liked it. Was pretty happy, but he's also an idiot so I figured out what was going on like two hours before he actually proposed so it sort of ruined things a bit. Yes. Yes. Yes. Okay, let's move on. So we go to- I said we're moving on!_

The Mayor and the eleven incubus stared at each other silently and nigh motionlessly for a good five seconds, each party staring at the other carefully. The one to attack first would gain the initiative, yes, but both groups knew that they would need to be very cautious when fighting their prospective opponent.

"You know, from the info we got you're supposed to be a pretty big hotshot," the same incubus who had greeted him said, and The Mayor quickly realized with how the rest didn't seem to stand in front of him that he was either the leader or spokesperson among them. "Honestly, the way it sounded it was like you could beat even one of the Demon Lord's children single-handedly. But I'm just not seeing it right now. I mean, you flew through the air like an arrow, and it wasn't even that hard. Though I'd have to say, ever since I got this Demon Energy flowing through me I've been feeling just so _strong,_ you know?" Saying this, the man closed his eyes and brought up his strange looking long sword, it's blade looking like some kind of red moss had grown all over it. However despite the fact that it looked almost unusable being covered in plant material, he knew not to underestimate it for a second. Demonic weapons always had a tricky side to them, as his years adventuring had taught him.

Without warning, the man and his entourage sprang forwards as one and the red blade in the incubus's hand was already swinging towards The Mayor's head. The Mayor was no slouch himself though, and though the attack came almost out of nowhere he had already tensed himself for battle and was able to react in time by quickly making a quick dash to the side. However The Mayor's instinctual counter attack, one which would have easily ended the incubus's life if it landed, was instead blocked by another red sword by one of the lead incubus' companions and he was forced to back away as yet a third incubus struck where he was just standing.

The Mayor knew very well that he could have struck first. However there were a couple of problems with that. The first was that he was outnumbered. Even if he ran forwards and struck down one of the incubus in a single blow, something that both he and they knew that he could do, then he would be left vulnerable for the other ten to strike. And since their bodies were dramatically altered in speed and strength, he was quite sure that they could very well rend him in two with sheer force of their swings alone. The second was their weapons. All of them looked similar. The area where the metal blade would be, since they all seemed to carry either knives or swords, was instead replaced with that strange red mossy material. It was likely Demonic in origin, possibly some special plant that they cultivated or maybe it wasn't even organic at all and just appeared to be, but whatever the case he knew that when their normal effects were disabled in some way they either became completely useless or their enchantment was altered into something more… unexpected. For both the user and the one being hit.

As he was forced to dive and roll through the legs of one man as three large blades passed all along his trail, he remembered an incident that occurred in Zipangu when a monster's weapon was changed from its regular enchantment to one that caused those hit by it to begin having their teeth fall out. It wasn't even deadly, or painful, or even created large amounts of blood. The woman who was struck by it simply found that all of her teeth had spontaneously stopped being attached to her jaw and gums. But he knew that they could be deadlier too. And if he was hit even _once_ then that could spell the end for him. And knowing this, he knew that above fighting back he had to prioritize dodging.

"Hey there handsome," a large Cancer called out, and the young guard that The Mayor had saved from the mermaid turned towards it.

"Um… Hi? I guess?" The guard was obviously quite wary. From the monster's stance it was clear that it wasn't going to fight him. Something he was quite thankful for seeing as he had lost both his weapon and his shield while being carried away. If it wanted to, he knew he wouldn't stand a chance as he was. And, though he was loath to admit it, he probably wouldn't have stood a chance against the crab-like monster's hard shell and powerful claws even if he had them.

"So, like what you see?" it asked him.

And against a normal man under the Order's overbearing protection, he probably would have no idea how to react to the question. The unfortunate truth was that most of humanity had little knowledge of monsters out of the Order's insistence on remaining tethered to old teachings even though the actions and strategies of the monsters had changed dramatically with the coming of the new Demon Lord. Tactics that would have worked to unite humanity and keep people vigilant about the capabilities and intentions of the monsters simply made things worse in the face of an enemy who acted far differently than the Order said they did which often confused civilians and soldiers alike. Even the nobles of the land, those who would almost _need_ to know more about how monsters acted and thought in order to move troops against them or to try and account for their interference when trying to do things outside the safety of a city, were quite uneducated in the field of monster psychology. However, those in and on the fortress were different. Well, most of the sailors were actually quite knowledgeable due to the almost certainty of bumping into monsters while on the sea, but the men and women who lived and worked on the island fortress were well educated in the matter due to both necessity and their leader. They all knew about the 'truth' of the monsters that the Order tried to hide. That the monsters, previously only wanting to kill, had been changed to a mentality of wanting to 'corrupt' instead. And all those who learned of what that implied found that they preferred the old way the Demons did things.

"Sorry ma'am," the man said politely but flatly while keeping a well practiced straight face, "but I'm not allowed to fraternize with the enemy."

"I-I'm sorry?" the Cancer said, clearly quite flustered at his bland and quite uninterested voice, "I mean, we're not really your enemy you know? We're about to win! So how about you just come quietly? I'm sure that you'll thank me for it later." As it spoke, it seemed to gain some of its confidence back.

"Hey, chitin-butt, what's goin' on here? Ohoho! A cutie! Now he's quite the catch! Mind sharing him with me?" Another mermaid came up, though this one was clearly one of the subspecies as it had both a tail and legs. However, the exact name eluded him, and he didn't quite care regardless. Instead, he calmed his breathing and turned to the second monster even as a few more noticed that there was a helpless human in front of them.

"As I've said previously, I'm not allowed to fraternize with the enemy forces. If you have any complaints or feel that I should be interacting with you, then you'll need to contact my superiors first."

"Oh, come on. Who's your- Wait, you mean the guy fighting my little sister's hubby over there? You know he's gonna get his butt kicked, right?" It put its arms in front of its chest while smiling at him in a manner it probably thought was enticing. He, however, disagreed.

"Nonetheless, that doesn't change the fact that I need his permission. If he loses and dies, is corrupted, or incapacitated to the point where he cannot give me permission then I suppose I will have no choice but to interact with you, but until then it will be against the law to actually have any sort of casual conversation ma'am."

The mermaid looked at him blankly for a few seconds, almost as if it couldn't believe what it was hearing, and out of the corner of his eye the guard noticed that the rest of the monsters also seemed amused and predatory. None of them were taking him seriously, and it looked like they wouldn't take no for an answer. Over forty, fifty, maybe even sixty of them. He never got the chance to count them all. But they were all staring at either him or watching the spectacle of the eleven on one fight that had moved to the middle of the docks. This was the worst situation that could occur.

"Look little boy," the mermaid continued even as the Cancer's head swiveled to look at each of them over and over in confusion, "I ain't up for playing any games. I don't care if your little leader isn't here to help you. You. Are. Mine."

Or at least it would be, if every bit of information he had consciously and subconsciously gathered over the past few weeks hadn't come together in one instant and made him realize that there was one way to get out of the situation.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but could you repeat that?" he said in a purposely slightly confused voice, "I'm not sure I heard you right."

"Oh? Got water in your ears? I said that I don't care if your mayor says no. You're going to be mine, for the rest of your life." The monster purred and took a single step forwards. However, it suddenly froze as the guard looked at her with a disgusted look on his face.

"You're saying you don't care about getting permission? Truly? I... I'm astonished. Honestly I can hardly believe what I'm hearing. I had been given the impression that the boss of the ocean here was smart, kind, and honourable. And that those who worked for it were the same. But it looks like I was wrong."

The monster seemed to preen at his compliment at first, but the moment he said his last sentence its face turned almost murderous.

"I'M SORRY, BUT WH-"

"You're not smart first of all. You didn't notice me first. You didn't even grab me when you had the chance. In fact, if anyone was allowed to decide who I 'belonged' to it would be the young monster right here." He motioned to the crab. "And that leads me to the second point. You're not kind. Instead of respecting my wishes you instead ignored the first person here completely and tried to take me for yourself." By now, the monsters around the mermaid were looking at her scornfully. But he had one more point. And thankfully this was the one that would save him. He hoped.

"And last of all, you're not honourable. I asked that you get the permission of my superior first. And yet you ignored it. You ignored the chain of command and the duty that a superior has to his soldier. And all that I can wonder about of now is if you'd act the same to your own boss, ignoring what they say just because you don't want to. That you'd probably ignore your comrades too."

Making sure his face was now facing the floor, half to appear saddened and half to hide the fact that his face was contorted into an expression of utter fear and hysteria over the fact that he just did what he did, he took a moment to flick his eyes up at the reactions of the monsters. And what he saw brought him a great deal of relief.

Every monster was staring at the mermaid in disgust, but the Cancer who had approached him first was instead staring at him with its eyes wide in surprise.

"Oh. I'm sorry mister." it said with an embarrassed look on its face, "I can wait for your boss to say that it's okay. Sorry."

The rest of the monsters seemed to realize what had just happened and while flashes of frustration and understanding about what the guard had done appeared on some of their faces it was already too late. The large group of Demonic creatures were now stuck in the frame of mind that 'If you try and take the human, then everyone else will think you're not loyal to the boss.'

He knew that if a few of them stood up at the same time and tried anyway the mindset would crumble. But the guard also knew that peer pressure was an astonishingly powerful force. Powerful enough, at least, to stop anyone from acting first out of fear of the others' judgement and actions. And as he idly turned to the still ongoing fight he prayed to God that The Mayor would win or he'd be screwed. Both figuratively and literally.

The Mayor knew that at this rate he was going to lose. At first he could manage fighting the group of incubus all at once. They were uncoordinated, got in each other's way, and even when they worked together only so many people could attack the same area at once. However he found that after the first minute of combat the more easy dodges gradually became closer and close to actually hitting him, and the hair width dodges changed from those of convenience to save energy into those of necessity to survive. They had finally gained a sort of instinctual understanding of each other and had unconsciously adopted different roles in the fight. A few were constantly on the attack, but others worked to hinder his movement, and others still waited on the outskirts and struck when he was busy dodging another.

And as he thought these things, a blade finally came towards him that he couldn't simply dodge. And so he tried to parry.

The moment his blade came into contact with the demonic one the nerves in his arms screamed in pain and he saw the wielder's arm twitch with a surprised grunt, both of them wincing in surprise as the blade had suddenly created a large amount of voltage the moment that the two swords came into contact. Even as his arm began to sting another incubus saw its chance and leapt at him, but as if God smiled on him a bit of water on the ground forced him to slip in just the right way that he was able to push off of the man's body and gain some distance. He could feel himself getting out of breath and knew that he had to buy himself some time.

"I have a question for you." he asked the group, inwardly sighing in relief as his opponents paused for a moment.

"A question? Ha, you know what? Go ahead." The incubus leader was smirking, clearly confident in his victory.

"You're all quite strong, and fast too. But I've fought incubus before, and none of them had your physical abilities yet were so relatively young." The Mayor quietly eyed the incubus that was a former resident of his city. One that had disappeared along with the Baker.

"Oh, that?" the incubus scoffed, "We got this cool elixir from the boss of the mamono here. From Zipangu apparently. Supposed to make us strong, but also makes me feel just so alive, you know? Well, suppose you don't actually."

"Zipangu you say. Well then. That is quite interesting. May I test something?" Without waiting for an answer, The Mayor turned to the former resident and looked him straight in the eye before speaking.

"Do you remember the nice young woman who worked in the tower? Yes, I see you do. Had a bit of a crush on her didn't you? Don't worry, everyone did. Well guess what?" The lead incubus seemed confused. They all did in fact. But the incubus he was speaking to seemed quite interested, but also very cautious and had a look of rising fear and despair as it understood what The Mayor was getting at. And so to top things off The Mayor delivered the final lines.

"Well she caught that sickness the other day, and we were going to give her some medicine but I took it for myself. Quite tasty that."

The former human froze for a moment. The words were a lie of course. The other incubus realized it too, but they didn't understand what was about to happen until it already did. The man suddenly screamed loudly, spittle flying everywhere as his mind was occupied with processing the idea of his former leader letting a person that he had cared about die. Charging forwards at a speed that surprised even the incubus that had gained large amounts of strength and agility themselves, the incubus almost flew at The Mayor with murder in his eyes. But he never accomplished his goal, as without the backup he had been afforded before The Mayor neatly ducked underneath the tackle and sliced open his jugular with a single swing of his blade. The incubus almost was able to bring itself up to its knees even as its brain stop receiving oxygen, but that was as far as it could go and the former human fell to the ground, dead.

With the realization that things had suddenly become far more dangerous, the remaining ten incubus lifted their weapons warily as they were reminded once again that the man in front of them could easily take out a lone incubus, even with their physical abilities enhanced further than they already had been.

Around them many of the monsters froze in fear. Some hadn't seemed to realize that they were watching a fight to the death yet, but now that idea was firmly entrenched into their minds, and one of them began openly weeping at the blatant sight of the new corpse that had been left on the ground for all to see, the others having been moved away and out of sight. But for one of their few incubus to die, that was a whole other matter.

Flicking his sword towards the ground and sending the blood that was on it splattering onto the stone floor, The Mayor took another ready stance.

"And that's one. Now, who's next?"


	23. Chapter 22 - Sea Foam

Chapter 22 - Sea Foam

 _Right, so when we get there things seem pretty okay at first. We visited the local tavern, tried to get some info on the local area, and generally just spent the first couple of days sightseeing. Oh, and we tried to get a translator since it only took two conversations with locals before we found out that we didn't understand what anyone was saying. I mean, I can speak the language now. We all could all speak and understand the basics after the first year of being surrounded by it, but back then we didn't understand a single thing. To tell you the truth, the first translator we hired refused to accompany us outside of the city and all the shop owners seemed to know him. I'm pretty sure we were being scammed, since the prices were higher than they should have been, but honestly we couldn't really do anything about it. I mean, the only guy who could actually understand what both parties were saying wasn't on our side. So we just suffered in silence. Sort of. And then we tried to find some jobs to do. Herb harvesting was one, but we weren't familiar with the land and you kinda needed to be to not pick up the wrong kinds of plants, and we couldn't help out at nearby shops either since we had no idea what we'd be told to do. So we looked for monster extermination jobs. Except the moment we asked the guy behind the desk sneered at us angrily, and after he spat out that he hated 'murderous Order scum' we realized that we were completely out of our element. Oh, no, he's dead now. I poisoned his water when he wasn't looking. Guy was a prick, so he deserved it. What? Oh. Yeah, I guess that was the first human that I consciously killed. You know, when I didn't have to. Huh, really doesn't feel like it._

When four guards burst out of the stairway with fear in their eyes, the fifty gathered townspeople immediately froze. They had expected a monster to come rushing out, though that wasn't to mean they _wanted_ such a thing, but to see the town guards, and so few of them at that, running away filled the citizens with fear. Why were they running? And why were there so few of them? Their questions went unanswered however, which made their minds only race harder as they quickly put together a picture of what had happened. An incorrect picture at that, but with so little evidence they could only draw the barest of conclusions and rest shifted into panicked speculation. But even as the guards stumbled to a stop as the sun fell onto them, instead of saying anything the four guards seemed to realize that they were surrounded by those they were meant to protect and their eyes widened at the sight of the armed men and women.

"Hey," one of the city's fisherman said, "where are the rest of the guards?"

The guards instantly realized that they could not tell the truth. Or at least not the whole truth. If they did, then they knew that they would face imprisonment at the absolute minimum for deserting their comrades to the monsters.

And so they began to lie.

"Th-The ship! The ship that was approaching the fortress! It was a trap!"

The Headmaster, who was only now getting back from trying to convince the other townspeople to pick up weapons and help fight, quickly approached the men. "Calm yourselves men. Calm. Now, what are you talking about? And where are the rest of the guards?"

"The ship! It was a trap. The sailors on it, they weren't human. They were monsters, and the ship was filled with mermaids, mershark, scylla, and more monstrosities. There were… There were too many. We only just got away."

"...How many were there?" the Headmaster understood what they were saying, and he felt a large pang of sadness fill his heart. His old friend, the one he had depended on for so long was taken away from him. Not in honourable combat, or even old age, but in a simple ambush that must have overwhelmed him and the guards through sheer numbers.

The guard paused for a second, trying to think of an answer. "I think, maybe, at least a hundred." he saw the look of confusion on the Headmaster's face and continued. "No, I get what you're thinking. It's impossible. The ship wasn't big enough. But… there were that many. Probably half as many more at most. To accomplish that kind of enchantment, it must have taken a lot of work."

The Headmaster only nodded in acceptance of this. He would wait till later to mourn. For now, he had to take charge.

"Alright, you heard them! Everyone with poles, spears, or anything of the like, step forwards! Those who have knives or other tools, head to the nearby houses and scavenge for anything you can, be they table legs or broom-sticks!" He spoke with authority, a plan to hold the monsters back already rising into his mind. He knew with complete confidence that if he could create a strong enough kill zone, or simply a barrier of spears and sharp objects, while being backed up by his magic he would probably be able to simply smoke everyone out just as he had done to monster dens in the past.

But the self-confidence of a single man couldn't hold up an army. And the villagers were certainly not an army.

"I'm going to go sit with my wife," one man said with a sad look in his eyes, before turning away while slipping the small knife he was carrying back into his belt. "I'm sorry."

Everyone watched him walk away in silence for a few seconds, a few looks of scorn in the citizen's eyes. However, he was not the last. And it was the man's decision to leave that sparked an ever increasing retreat.

"We're going to lose anyway. A hundred monsters? We'd stand no chance."

"They took down The Mayor! How could… I can't fight something that could do that!"

"Sorry. I… Sorry."

The Headmaster knew he should say something. Anything at all really. But he couldn't bring himself to. And he hated himself for it. However, to his reluctant surprise he found that not all of the citizens had decided to leave. In fact, there were far more than he had thought there would be after he realized that people would be wanting to spend their supposed last few minutes with their families.

"Are the rest of you truly willing to fight?" he asked, knowing that their refusal would probably snuff out the last bit of hope left in his heart.

"Of course," a well built man, one of the experienced fishermen, said, "I know that we're probably gonna get our butts kicked. But I ain't goin' down without a fight. We've held on to this island for, what is it, three months straight? There's no way I'm letting them take it from me."

Those around him nodded.

"We're standing together. To the end."

"I always dreamed about going down in glorious combat to save my city you know. Just never thought I'd actually need to."

"If I back down now, my wife would be _pissed."  
_  
The Headmaster gave them all a small smile. Five, ten, fifteen… Eighteen men and women out of the original fifty had decided to stay.

"Thank you all," he said, "and with the assistance of the guards and my two mages we'll have twenty five people in all. It will be difficult, but if we act quickly I'm sure we can defeat them." Everyone gathered knew that they were hollow words. Twenty five men and women against over a hundred monsters? Ridiculous, even if one of them was a Champion. However, that didn't lower their spirits any less, and each of them wordlessly grabbed the spears and kitchen knives taped onto wooden sticks. None of them were properly trained, but they all knew it wouldn't matter if they were.

The Headmaster suddenly spun around to face the entrance to the docks, his hands shifting to get a proper grip on his staff, and everyone tensed even as twenty large needles of ice came into existence around him. However, nothing appeared for nearly fifteen seconds straight and the people looked around uncertainly. This slight relaxation was broken as the Headmaster suddenly shouted.

"INCOMING!"

From the tunnel, the small impromptu citizen militia were met with the appearance of a large piece of wood that looked like it had come off of a boat, but they easily caught flashes of a large grey tail appearing behind it as it quickly moved towards them. The first monster had arrived.

"Spears out!" the Headmaster called to them, and at the same time ten of the needles shot towards the wooden shield. However, though a loud yelp of surprise was heard from behind it as the needles punctured it half-way, the monster holding it not stopping for even a moment despite being attacked. And with a shout, the monster's voice echoing out from the tunnel and just it reaching the ears of the militia, the wooden shield flew forwards like a battering ram at full speed, and the Headmaster was barely able to throw himself to the side to get out of its path. And thankfully, none of the citizens were hit by it either.

Quickly scrambling to his feet the Headmaster swung around to face the corridor, his staff already being charged with magic in preparation to fire anything from another ice spear to a fireball or even a simply blast of pure force if needed, but instead he could only watch as the monster, a mershark he idly noticed, didn't go after him. In fact, it didn't go after any of the gathered civilians. It bypassed them completely, swerving and twisting around the few spears that had been thrust at its body, and instead dived into the alley between two houses and only seconds later it was completely out of sight.

Inwardly he screamed in frustration, and not a small amount of shock, but even though he wanted to run after them the spell he had placed on himself informed him of the presence of a larger group of monsters that were on their way up and he knew that even though that monster would likely cause chaos in the city letting a group of them pass by to stop a single other would be utterly disastrous.

"HEADS UP, WE GOT MORE COMING! SPEARS AT THE READY!" the Headmaster yelled, and he thanked God that the militia quickly complied.

And just in time too as six more monsters, them being three mermaids, a scylla, and two mersharks, burst out one after the other, and this time they immediately headed for the armed citizens.

"Get away from me b-" a man's surprised shout was cut off as the weight of the entire scylla who had pounced on top of him knocked the air out of his lungs. However, only a second later the monster began screaming in pain and rolled off of him, attracting the attention of both the humans and monsters. He slowly staggered up, and even as he did the monster's torso was revealed to the onlookers and all immediately noticed the spear that had lodged itself deep through the monster. A few thought that they could see it poking through to the other side.

"That's it!" the Headmaster shouted as a trio of small fireballs grew into existence beside him and began circling around his body at high speeds. "Use their weight against them! Let them impale themselves upon your spears. Work together! We can do this."

Even as he spoke one of the three mermaids suddenly dropped to the ground as a middle aged woman kicked her in the back while slightly panting from the adrenaline, revealing a bloody wound right behind the ribcage and a kitchen knife in her hands that was coated in a thick layer of blood. "THAT'S FOR MY LITTLE BOY YOU FREAK!" she screamed.

However, in her rage she failed to notice the figure flying at her from the side, and the older woman suddenly found herself with a broken arm and being sent flying through the window of a house, the glass shattering and her body falling limply to the floor inside. The mershark who had punched her pulled back and sent a furious glare at those around it, but it quietly waited until the other mershark came up behind it and both acknowledged the others presence.

"Fall, Demon!" the Headmaster called out while making the three fireballs launch themselves at the two monsters, but to his dismay he could only watch as each of them simply twisted themselves to the side, dodging all three. He knew that if he was able to use his power freely, then all the monsters would already be dead. However, he was surrounded by twenty fo- twenty three other people. And if he let loose his full power both they and the surrounding buildings would surely be reduced to nothing.

However to his relief something happened that none of them expected. A man in shining metal armour came skidding out of the dock entrance, and as he passed by two of the mermaids while his body slid across the wet stone surface his arm flashed through the air and both suddenly found themselves missing their heads.

"It's the Captain of the town guard!" one of the civilians shouted

"I'll back you up! We need to protect the civilians!" he shouted back to them. However, the Headmaster knew that the man was needed elsewhere.

"Captain, I had thought you taken by the monsters! But now's not the time. A mershark slipped by us during the conflict, and is somewhere in the city. We don't know where it is but-" Before he could finish speaking, the Captain was already on the move, and as he sprinted towards the two mersharks they found themselves unable to dodge as they normally would as they were forced to try and avoid another two fireballs heading towards them.

"I'll look for it!" the Captain called out as he managed to slice the arm off of one of the mersharks and create a gash in the tail of the other, "Just hold the fort until I'm back!"

"Will do!" the Headmaster shouted back. And with a quick twirl of his staff a small bolt of lightning hit the mershark with the missing arm, stunning it just long enough for a man to thrust his makeshift spear at its neck and pierce through its trachea. He lost the weapon a moment later as the monster instinctively pulled it away from him and out of its body, but by then it was too late and the monster found breathing impossible as its lungs quickly filled with blood. However, the other mershark and one of the mermaids quickly understood that they were next and both left in different directions while just barely avoiding the attacks of the citizens around them.

"I, girls? Wait, what about me!" the remaining monster shouted, in panic and confusion. However, they didn't answer her as they were already preoccupied by fleeing. And as it finally realized that it was now being approached by a man and woman who both held spears before them, it could barely even muster up a whimper of fear in its shocked state before both the humans struck.

"No time to after them," the Headmaster shouted to the small group who seemed to want to go after the escapees, "we have more monsters incoming. Regroup, and get ready for the next wave!"

The humans cheered in victory. They could do this!

And so caught up in their joy, they ignored the four soldiers who began to slink away, wanting to save their own skin more than help out the understaffed militia.


	24. Chapter 23 - Taking Water

Chapter 23 - Taking In Water

 _So since we found out that people actually didn't have a bunch of problems that needed to be solved by killing stuff, we did the only thing we could. We went out and killed them anyway! Yeah, that may sound really bloodthirsty, but it wasn't. See, monsters in Zipangu often do some pretty shady stuff. There's one species that basically enters your house and tricks everyone inside that they've been a part of the family since forever and stuff. And often times, seeing as Zipnagu-ians. Or Zipang-ese? I dunno. Those guys are pretty lenient with monsters compared to us in the Order's lands, so they can usually accept this at face value. Of course, we're a bunch of 'murderous thugs' so we just strolled into some people's houses and shanked the Nurarihyon slut staying there. Of course, it turns out that the guy had already been turned into an incubus so we had to get him too. Things got real dicey there for a bit, since the shouts had attracted attention and the local guard basically saw us standing over a dead guy's body, but were somehow, and no I have no idea how we did it, convinced them to just come with us into the house. That's when we showed them the corpse. Oh, and then we found the like fifteen other monsters in the basement. Turns out the guy had grown ambitious enough to want to 'spread the joy he had found' and basically infect the entire port town. No, it wouldn't have worked, but the fact that he had been corrupted for so long with no one noticing was big in and of itself. So instead of being arrested for the murder of one of the town's citizens, we got commended instead. Turns out that even if they tolerate monsters, they're still not willing to put up with an entire insurrection. Of course, when the local lord decided to crack down on human-monster relationships things got real messy. Good thing there were a trio of powerful adventurers around to help out, huh? What? Oh, yeah. We busted some skulls. And I started indulging around that point too. Told some of the guards that the monster was 'resisting arrest' and stuff. And when the guys tried to object, they were taken away or killed too. God, that was fun to see. Oh, sorry. I'll get back on track, yeah._

The Mayor stood silently, eying the ten incubus even as the body of the one he had just slit the throat of began slowly cooling. However, he also kept a bit of his attention on the monsters around him. He estimated that over half still remained, but he saw nearly a dozen more begin fleeing to the surface likely from the fear of being killed themselves. The rest stayed because they believed that the incubus would still win, they were too indecisive or scared to move, or simply didn't think of leaving in the first place. Whatever the case, The Mayor silently hoped that the Council was able to get a large enough force of civilians to help fight off the monsters that had trickled upwards. The Headmaster, he knew, would definitely be able to hold the monsters back by himself, but that was only the case if he didn't need to worry about collateral damage. And unleashing all of his magical might in the middle of the city? They simply couldn't afford the excess damage with no shipments of things like wood and iron coming in, and there would be a _lot_ of that if he wanted to fight at full strength.

"Hmph," The Mayor grunted with a purposefully arrogant look on his face, "well I guess if you aren't going to come after me, then there are plenty of others to fight. He turned his head and body to the side and made sure to meet the eyes of several of the monsters, but also keeping the group of incubus in his peripheral vision. Something that he knew was about to save his life as a few of them understood what he was implying and threw themselves forwards.

He brought his sword up and threw out a feint at the one in the front, making the former human instinctively try and block. This wasn't to give The Mayor an opening to attack, but instead served two purposes. The first was simply to reinforce the idea that he was now on the attack. He had shown that he could fight back, and was quite capable of killing them. As long as he continued to throw out an attack every once in awhile, they would be far more hesitant to get near him and be more prone to making mistakes. Ten enhanced incubus attacking him at once without much attention to defending, which they wouldn't normally need to since he'd have to spend all his time dodging, was more than he could easily handle without using too much Spirit Energy.

And that lead to the second reason. He had already been forced to flood his body with bursts of the stuff and while cycling it through his body at a steady rate to increase his abilities overall let him reuse the same Spirit Energy over and over again, sending sudden streams of it let him boost his speed and strength to far greater levels but a majority of the energy used would be wasted. The careful decision of when to flood an area versus when to simply cycle it around was the basis for every battle between every human and monster fight, and choosing wrong could end up with the human's loss. Of course while some would assume that you could simply cycle all of your Spirit Energy through your body all the time rather than in short and wasteful bursts, the fact of the matter was that you could only safely cycle around ten percent of it at a time. After that the energy would become too imbalanced and start to leak out of the person using it.

And so, the short feint gave him enough breathing room to kick off the ground without needing to flood his legs or commit to an attack.

The four incubus' attack was enough to spur the rest to continue the fight, but he could already see the hesitation in their blows.

A vertical slice by the incubus in the front was sidestepped, and a horizontal slash by another one a second later was met with a roll to the side that got him out of the way of yet another swing coming from behind him at the being had tried to circle around for a surprise attack.

Yes, this was far easier than before.

"Come on now, you can't really be still trying to kill me, are you?" The Mayor taunted.

"W-What did you just say?" one of the incubus said incredulously.

"Didn't you hear me? Kids these days, it's like you're not even trying." If he could make them truly angry, then they'd go berserk just like the last one. However that would require that they're actually pushed over the edge.

He had seen the effects that the 'elixir' they had said they had imbibed had on a person, and with the quick test he had run that ended with the death of one of the eleven incubus he was sure that this one was the very same concoction. Or at least one that had similar properties. After all, they hadn't said that it was the only thing they had drank and you needed to drink another potion to make sure that the effects of the first didn't start to destroy your body from the inside out.

"Damn you old man. Come on boys, let's not disappoint him then. DIE!"

They seemed to have gotten a bit irritated but it wasn't anywhere enough yet. And since he couldn't recognize them he couldn't figure out what would be their triggers so easily.

"Hm, missed me." The Mayor said, dodging the speaker's blow.

Another came at him from the side and he jumped over them. "Slow."

Two men came at him from different sides right as he was landing, both swinging diagonally, but he simply dashed to the side the moment he hit the ground and neither attack came close to him. "Oh, come on now, you can do better."

The lead incubus came at him and swung with truly surprising speed, making three different swipes with in a single second. He actually found them troublesome to dodge, but The Mayor wouldn't let the group of incubus know that. "Whoa, you know that might have gotten me if you were skilled. Thank God that's not the case."

"SCREW YOU!" one of them shouted, his eyes almost glazing over with rage. Was it the insults that pushed him over the edge? Or was it the mention of God?

"Oh? What's wrong my child? If you've sinned, the confessional is always open you know."

"RRRRGGGHAAAAAA!"

Definitely the God thing. Watching the man dash towards him, not even holding up his twin daggers to properly attack, The Mayor idly wondered what the Church may have done to him in the past to get him so angry. Then again, he was an incubus. The demi-monster's opinion didn't really matter to him anyhow, and he ended the ravenous beast's life by grabbing it by its neck and swiftly spinning its head all the way around which made a loud cracking noise fill the air.

"And that's two. You know, that was a pretty pathetic death. Hopefully the rest of the monsters here don't die so easily." Over half the incubus began growling in rage, and The Mayor knew he was on the right track. "Well, I don't really mean that I suppose. After all, I'd rather not waste too much energy on _trash_ like this."

The incubus howled in rage, their skill and fluid movements disappearing underneath the bestial hatred as they ran towards him with death in their eyes.

Jackpot.

The Headmaster, when he looked around at the dozens of humans fighting tooth and nail against the small horde of monsters, couldn't tell if he was filled with pride or absolute horror at what his fellow man were doing.

It turned out that the sounds of fighting were enough to attract people to them. Those who found themselves unable to pick up a weapon before found enough courage inside of them at hearing the struggles of their fellow citizens to take up arms and join the small militia. And those who didn't have weapons fought with their hands, legs, and teeth.

"I'LL RIP OUT YOUR EYEBALLS AND SHOVE THEM DOWN YOUR THROAT!"

And occasionally their words as well.

However even as he let the many tendrils of a Tritonia wrap around his staff, letting loose several thousands volts of electricity run through only a moment after, he still felt a sharp pain of despair as he saw the few bodies that lay limp, and the injuries both big and small.

The citizens weren't warriors. They were people who went out on fishing boats. People who spent their day selling their wares on the street. People who acted as innkeepers and cooks. Or at least they did before they became trapped here. And this lack of training showed as even when it was five on one the men and women still struggled.

Truth be told the only reason that they hadn't lost was because no five minutes ago a large number of guards came streaming up the steps and helped back up the citizens, and though he didn't know how so many had survived when the first group of guards said they had been overrun he still didn't have time to actually ask.

And then there were the citizens that seemed to take leave of their senses and had seemingly gone berserk.

"Please, no! I don't want-" the mermaids hysterical shouts were turned into pained gurgles by the woman who had the monster's throat between her teeth. He hated admitting it, but he felt sorry for the being. _Something,_ he didn't know what, had come over a great deal of the citizens, and they had gone mad with rage. He almost compared it to a strength enhancing potion he had seen before during his time as an adventurer, but they didn't gain the massive increases in strength and speed. They simply pushed themselves to the limit out of sheer rage it seemed. But that wasn't a good thing.

"The hell are you doing? Get off of me!"

The Headmaster took a split second and sent a stunning bolt at a man whose mouth was frothing over. This would be the eighth so far that seemed to have gone insane and began attacking their allies and enemies alike, only resting once their target was dead. Thankfully none had been killed by their fellow man yet, but he knew that as long as the blood rage that people had seemed to fall into continued they would get closer and closer to snapping.

And he couldn't even take the time to think of a way to stop it, as he was busy concentrating on firing off more spells at the twenty monsters that had gathered up top.

The monsters had started off being almost hesitant, but they soon began reverting to more primal protective instincts in the presence of their dead allies and some seemed to act like the monsters told about in the story books. They went after humans with cold and furious looks, as if the very presence of the humans around them were an affront to their senses. They were acting unlike anything the Headmaster had seen.

And yet at the moment, he found himself having a hard time differentiating between who the true monsters were.

However, there was still hope in his heart. They were thinning the monsters out, one by one, and though they had lost, fifteen, or maybe even twenty people so far there were still far more dead monsters.

He was shaken out of his daydreaming by the arrival of another ten monsters who all froze at the sight of the complete chaos that was the city near the docks. They all seemed a bit shaken and out of breath. What on earth was happening down there?

Whatever it was, he welcomed anything that made defending their home just a little bit easier, and a dozen fireballs were launched their way.

The Guard Captain was running through the streets, his sword wet with the blood of the monsters he had slain. He knew that the monster that had escaped wouldn't be the only one, and that more would probably slip by the defenders. He didn't blame them of course. They were civilians. They were never trained to fight monsters like he was. Defending the city was _his_ job, and with every second that passed where he failed to find anymore monsters both lifted and darkened his spirits. He had already thought he had gotten all of the runners when lo and behold another came into his sight. And the fact that he had become lax and probably only ran into the Demon by accident made him very aware that there were probably still others.

Of course the problem was that he didn't know how many there were, nor where they would go. Places he had already searched could have a monster there, seeing as they moved around just as much as he did, and were likely willing to hide. He had to keep his Spirit Energy cycling through his body constantly, something he was unused to, and it was straining his mind.

Getting a bit desperate, he tried to think of somewhere, anywhere, he hadn't checked yet. And that's when it hit him.

"The Church."

He broke into a sprint, heading towards it. He didn't know why he didn't check before. Was he distracted? Too caught up in what was in front of him? Just forgot about it entirely? He wasn't sure. But something primal in the back of his mind told him that he should have checked sooner, and as the building fell within his sights that feeling was vindicated. One of the doors lay on the ground, ripped off of its hinges, and two voices could be heard from inside. One laughing and the other crying, and he quickly ran inside and froze at the sight of a mershark holding some kind of syringe and injecting something into a young woman's neck..

"So how'd that feel?"

"W-What did you just do to me?"

"Aw, why so scared? Just a bit of juice! The boss gave it to me. You know how many strings she said she had to pull to get her hands on it?"

"Ugh. Ah? What is this feeling? What did you just-"

"The boss knows that there's some kind of anti Demon Energy field here, so we can't corrupt people the normal way. Of course, we could always use stick some of the stuff into someone in a pure liquid form and it'll do the same job. Real hard to get your hands on it, but…"

The Captain couldn't bear to hear anymore, and charged forwards.

"Hey, who the heck is thhhhhhhaahHHHHAHAHHHHHH!" the large mershark began to scream in pain as the Captain's blade was shoved straight through its back. However he found himself pulling the blade out, only to shove it back in somewhere else. Three stabs later, and he found himself holding only the hilt as the blade had snapped off inside the monster who was now lying on the floor convulsing as it took its last few breaths in shocked silence.

"N-no! I… I can't die here! We were… all…" It's voice trails away as its eyes slowly go blank, a growing pool of blood spreading out from under its body, and the Captain took the opportunity to take a look at the young woman he had heard screaming. And he felt despair.

"C-Captain." the Sister of the Church said, "I'm sorry you had to see me like this."

He could see small patterns starting to appear around her neck as the Demon Energy began making it through her body via her bloodstream. And from the look in her eyes, she could probably feel it as well.

"Sister. I'm sorry. I wasn't fast enough to-"

"Don't," she interrupted him, "don't say anything. Captain, I don't think my body is going to last much longer. A-And I don't want to be one of them!"

"Sister, I can't save you!" the Captain said, even as tears began running down his eyes. But she simply shook her head.

"No. You can't save me." She took a deep breath. "But you can save my soul."

The Captain could only look at her in confusion.

"God takes a human's soul into heaven after they die," she explained, "and brings them eternal happiness with their loved ones. But the Demons don't get this privilege. Their bodies and souls are irreversibly stained, and their very nature would have them destroyed the moment they entered God's realm."

"But what can I do?" the Captain asked desperately. And the Sister gave him a sad look.

"You can stop my soul from reaching that point. By killing me before I'm corrupted completely."

Silence filled the Church, as both looked into each other's eyes and the mershark finally bled out.

"That goes against my oath to keep the people safe," the Captain choked out. But despite his words he was already pulling out the small dagger he kept at his side, prepared for any time he had lost his sword. A situation just like this one.

"You _are_ keeping me safe. The body can die, but the soul is forever. Please, let me pass on with that intact."

The Captain had no more words to say. None would change things anyway.

And so with a single thrust, he pierced her heart.

"F-Father?" she asked, "is that you? Have you… come… to…"

And so once more the Church fell silent, except for the sound of the Captain's tears hitting the paved floor.


	25. Chapter 24 - Shore Break

Chapter 24 - Shore Break

 _So we get a bit of fame from that. Unfortunately, that still doesn't mean we have people clamoring to give us work, which still sucked. What it did mean though was that people now trusted that we were the kind of guys who would get things done, even if it meant getting our hands dirty. I mean what they probably didn't realize was that nearly all the work we could do pretty much revolved around getting our hands dirty, but it doesn't really matter. What does matter is that we got a sweet bodyguard job for a caravan. And it was a really high profile one too. Nearly fifty merchants, along with their retainers, their goods, and the other guards they hired. We'd honestly not really seen anything this big before. They weren't exactly upfront about where they were delivering to, but they showed us the goods and none of it seemed particularly suspicious so we knew that it was probably private and we didn't intrude. And really, even if we had found out the truth, that being that they were going to this big wedding between a formal lord and some hot-shot monster chick that would unite the clans or whatever, we probably wouldn't have backed out. I mean we might have done some shady stuff, or at least I would have, but we wouldn't have refused the job just based on that alone. Of course turns out that this would be… Well, you know. This was our last mission. It's the one where I became… This. Screwed me over big time. And it turns out that the reason it was our last mission? We got a bounty on our head, made by one of the Demon Lord's children. Yeah, bet you didn't know that. Oh, one of the older ones. Drilla or something. Real bitch when we met a few months later. But that doesn't really matter. What matters is that she set up an ambush with some real big and scary monsters. I'm saying Dragons. Like, three of 'em. Plus an undead one, though I have no idea how the normal Dragons could stand being near it. Plus there were some others as well. Manticores, both Ogres, Red and Blue Oni, and even some Ushi-Oni. There was even an Atlach-Nacha. They really didn't pull any punches. Of course, neither did we. There was a REASON we were feared by the monsters you know. Er, even though I only found that fact out a few years later._

"Is everyone present?" The Mayor asked, though he didn't expect an answer. The seven people, him included, that were sitting inside the meeting room weren't in any mood to talk, and even if they were there wasn't anything they could say that would make the day seem any better. The Mayor stayed silent for a few seconds before continuing, silently hoping that _someone_ would say something to lighten the mood.

"Alright then. The first order of business is this. Captain, what are the casualty figures?"

The man didn't respond however, his eyes blank.

"Captain. Captain!"

"Wh-What?" the man shook himself out of his daze, "I'm sorry sir, could you repeat the question?"

"What are the casualty figures? Start with the civilians."

"Right sir, I apologize," the Captain pulled out a small strange looking chalkboard and began looking at the figures splayed across it. "Civilian fatalities are as follows. Twenty eight civilians killed in combat and or in the panic. Six critically injured, with little hope for recovery. Fifty with minor wounds that are expected to either all be healed within two weeks, or are not otherwise directly life threatening."

The whole Council felt a mixture of anger and sadness at the news, but all of them buried it. They had all heard of the deaths of the citizens before, though it was previously due to the sickness that had been spreading. This was different, but that didn't mean they couldn't quash their emotions around it any less effectively than usual.

The numbers were still intimidating.

"And there were also three citizens that had to be put down due to corruption." the man finished. The fact that he did so without flinching was noticed by those around him but they made no move to question him about it. They had already heard what he had been forced to do, and they were loath to bring it up again.

"I see," said The Mayor, "and what about the guard?"

"Guard casualties are as follows. Four guards killed in combat and or in the panic. None critically injured." A few of the council members' eyebrows rose in surprise at this, but they weren't any happier than before. "Ten guards with minor wounds that are expected to heal within the next two weeks, or are not directly life threatening. And there were also eleven guards that had to be put down due to corruption."

The final line sent most of the gathered Council members sharply breathing in in surprise.

"...How did this happen?" the Botanist asked with a scared tone.

"During the retreat from the docks," the Captain began, his voice sounding smooth and unworried despite the news he was delivering, "a large group of soldiers were apparently grabbed and taken by a large group of monsters. Despite the protection field around the city some Demonic Energy was still able to enter their bodies, and we predicted that they had at most two days before it began feeding on their Spirit Energy. As long as we are within the barrier, simple ambient Demonic Energy is no threat to us, but an actual monster inside the barrier can transfer the energy into another's body though it cannot create more and will slowly dissipate outside of a host."

Some of the Council members had questions, but they didn't voice them. Talking about what Demonic Energy did to the human body, mind, and soul was a taboo topic. And with the current situation, and the fates of those who had been infected, they didn't want to think more about it anyway, even if it might help.

The Mayor took a deep breath. "Alright then. I'll have the Sis-" he paused for a moment, remembering something, before continuing. "I'll hold a funeral service for the families of the dead. Give them a proper send-off. Should help them with their fears. But on that topic, I think we need to move onto another matter. One that, I'm sorry Captain, must be brought up."

The Captain simply nodded in silence, something that had the rest of the Council looking at each other nervously. They had already figured out what was going to be said, but why wasn't _he_ reacting? It was by his hand that it had happened after all. But The Mayor didn't pay attention to the other five Council members' worries, and continued speaking.

"We need someone to take care of the daily sermons. Now, more than ever, we need something for the populace to believe in. Something to put their hopes and dreams in. If we let things stand as they are, with the people wandering around purposeless, then things are only going to get worse. So, who here is up for the job?"

"Me." "I'll do it!"

The Botanist and Accountant looked at each other first in surprise, then annoyance. The Accountant got the first word in after that however.

"Look, I know you're excited, but the fact of the matter is you've already got a job! You're going to be busy."

"Yeah, but unlike you I actually _care_ about the people. You were the one to put forward the idea of leaving people to die outside the walls!"

"Yeah, I did. And if you'd notice, I was right. If we had just let them stay out there, we wouldn't be down the only person who actually knew how to properly run a church now would we? You on the other hand were all for letting in the Demons."

"Better someone who is willing to take risks to save people than someone who'll let people die to keep yourself alive."

"Yeah, and if we'd stopped them from coming in, THE SISTER WOULD STILL BE ALIVE! It's because you're so goddam self righteous that she's dead! We shouldn't be helping other people, it's us first! Things are NOT going to be okay, you understand? And I refuse to let you fill other people's heads with stuff that's just going to get more people killed like YOU ALREADY HAVE!"

Instead of responding, the Botanist snarled like an animal and leapt out of her chair at the Accountant who could only flinch. However, she never reached him.

"Please stop struggling ma'am," the Captain said, his voice still steady and calm despite everyone else, including The Mayor, being completely shocked at the sudden turn of events.

"What in God's name was that?" the Accountant panted, not taking his eyes off of the Botanist as she soon calmed down but didn't stop giving him a death glare.

"That," The Mayor said with a slightly shaky voice, "is something we're wondering ourselves. We've had a few outbreaks of… you could call it feral behaviour, but if we restrained the people or knocked them out they'd calm down. But I don't know if it's going to stop, and there's no pattern to who gets afflicted with it. No one's come down with it twice, but then again we haven't exactly tried to _replicate_ the event. Especially now that we're down a medical specialist."

The Council stayed silent, even as the Botanist's breathing finally slowed into deep breaths and the madness in her eyes began to leave. The Captain didn't release her for another thirty seconds, but after he did she didn't move from her position slumped over the table, so he was forced to put her back in an upright position where she awkwardly sat with her eyes glazed over. Her body may have calmed down, but her mind was clearly still quite foggy and she would need some time to recover.

"...Well, I suppose you get the job then," The Mayor gestured to the Accountant, "because she is definitely not fit for duty. Captain, please bring her to her room so she can get some rest. But, uh, don't let anyone inside if they aren't trained, alright?"

The Captain simply nodded, the blank look on his face not leaving, and the nearly unconscious woman and Guard Captain left the room.

"Well then, I think we can move onto the next order of business. Dockmaster, how goes the food situation?"

"Good sir," the Dockmaster reported, "we have the entire city helping take apart the monsters. Honestly, people seem to have stopped caring about eating the more human-looking bits now. They're still only eating what we've pointed out they actually _can_ eat, but other than that we actually had to separate the, uh, human corpses from the monster ones. The last thing we want to do is end up committing acts of cannibalism. Though, to be honest, the viciousness that some of the citizens have shown in taking apart the monster's bodies has been quite unnerving. They're really taking a savage glee in it. It's made me a bit nervous."

To that The Mayor could only shrug in response. "Frankly, I don't think we can do much about it. I mean, what are we to say? That they shouldn't hate the monsters for killing their friends and family? For corrupting the bodies of eleven of their defenders? I'd be surprised if they weren't channeling their anger into that kind of thing. I don't _like_ it, but I'm not surprised. Maybe if we had something or someone to actually help them, we could get through this without them getting so viscous. But we don't. I'm sorry Dockmaster, but you're just going to have to put up with it."

"No, don't worry. I understand. I'm just a bit worried about them is all."

"That's fine," The Mayor said, "I don't expect it to really affect their work. And hopefully the monsters won't throw anything else at us for a while. A break would really do us good. Might get people to calm down a bit and give them a chance to unwind. How's the food situation anyway? Have the monster corpses helped out any?" That finally got a smile out of the Dockmaster, and brought a slight bit of levity to the table as he began speaking.

A moment after he began speaking, the Captain silently returned and went back to his seat while nodding to The Mayor.

"Oh, definitely sir. There were over a hundred monster corpses in all. More than enough to feed the citizens. Plus, with all the salt we've been saving up for the past couple of months from the evaporation pools we can basically preserve all of it with no problem if needed. I'm guessing we just bought ourselves a week and a halfs worth of food just with that."

"Actually, it'd be two weeks," the Quartermaster interjected with a slight frown on his face. Everyone turned to him. He didn't talk much, but when he did everyone knew it was important. "See, I've been running the numbers. Made up a little formula to check how long we'll last even, thanks to the Accountant over there."

"Wait, _that's_ what you were asking me for?"

"Yep. Anyway, with the recent loss of consumers, we're actually going to be able to last longer than before. With how the calculations have panned out, it looks like we would actually last longer the smaller the population we had. Only until about fifty people or so, but until that point we're actually going to be able to survive for longer despite not having more people to work."

Just as the Headmaster could speak, the Quartermaster put up a hand to stop him.

"Yes, I know what it sounds like. That it'd technically mean that the more people we lost the longer the survivors would, you know, survive. But it's the truth. The safety margin is about seventy to ninety people if we count sickness and injuries. Now I'm not going to advocate for that thing you think I might be saying we should do. I'm just laying the facts out there."

The room fell silent. His words were resonating in the Council members' minds. It was a malicious thing. 'If the weak die, then the rest can live.' was something that many had thought of in desperate situations all through history and everywhere around the world. It was a flawed idea in many ways, but in the situation they were in the Council couldn't simply throw the idea away. After all, if it was life or death situation, they weren't sure if they _wouldn't_ do something drastic. 'For the good of the whole' could be stretched to cover quite a few things, and that scenario was one of them.

"I think…" The Mayor said, "that we need to take a break. I'm sure you all have work to do. Quartermaster, until the Botanist gets better could you handle the maintenance of the algae pools?

"Yeah, in my spare time I can do that. I know the basics."

"Good. The rest of you are dismissed. Ah, but Captain? Mind staying back for a bit?"

"Of course sir. What're your orders?"

The Mayor waited until everyone had left the room before speaking.

"The monsters will be wary of coming back since they won't be hearing from their comrades, and we can't have that. So I have a small job for you…"


	26. Chapter 25 - Algae Bloom

Chapter 25 - Algae Bloom

 _We fought hard. Really hard. Harder than we'd ever fought before really, even against the Dragon so long ago. But I was stronger. We were all stronger. We were able to draw them all away, crazy now that I think about it but the bounty must have been high enough to take their minds off of the caravan, and that's when the fight really started. I… I don't think you'd understand just how crazy it all became. See, the whole desperate fight against the Dragon, it was so long ago by then. We had learned every trick in the book, and then written a new one. We were… I think by that point we could have honestly been the match of a Lillim. Yeah, I know, it sounds crazy, but if you were there you would understand. God, my brother, when he really let loose... When he realized that he couldn't hold back anymore for our safety on the battlefield… Have you ever seen ice spontaneously combust? Watched as the ground itself bubbled, and watched lightning itself manifest into a living creature? And my boyfriend. Fiance. Whatever you want to call it. He moved with such speed and strength it was unreal. He split a dragon in half with a single stroke. You know some people think their scales are indestructible, but honestly their durability was pretty much laughable against him. And me? I… I don't know. I know that I killed things. I killed a LOT of things. At least as many as they did. I remember that. But it's still sort of like my part in it is something I never really concentrated on, even though that sounds really weird since I was the one actually fighting and stuff. All I remember are their figures, so powerful, so grand. I don't know why they weren't made heroes. But it didn't really matter. Because more monsters came. And no matter how strong they were, they couldn't fight forever. And so that's when I figured out what was going to need to happen. We couldn't escape. Not so easily. Not surrounded as we were. And not when we were already getting tired. So that's when I made the decision. And that's how my brother and boyfriend got away, and I was taken straight into the heart of the Demon Realm. That's how I was turned into a monster, and never saw my friends and family again. And you know what really made me snap though? What pushed me over the edge? It was the tragedy of it all. Feeling everything get ripped away in an unfair event, two lovers never getting married and being apart forever. It excited me. It made me want to experience that hopelessness and tragedy again._

There was an eerie sort of silence around the Captain of the guard. The kind most would associate with sadness. Depression. Mourning. But if you were to see his face, none of that sort of thing would be visible. Neither was he showing any signs of rage. Nor happiness. His face was more of a blank mask, yet the slight look in his eyes told you that he wasn't trying to hide anything either. It seemed natural on him, despite those who knew him personally probably objecting to this possibility strongly. He would have his times of reclusiveness, mostly when facing times of emotional turmoil, but they would never actually see him be so… empty.

And yet, as he walked along the fortress walls under the blazing noonday sun, his face didn't even twitch despite no one being around to see him. Even the guards that would normally be stationed along the walls nearby had been given a break while he did the little job The Mayor had assigned him away from prying eyes and far out of earshot of any hidden listeners.

He had only just arrived on top, The Mayor explaining what he wanted done a quarter of an hour ago, and he knew that it wouldn't be so easy as it was initially outlined. Or maybe it would. It really depended on his luck. Whatever the case, all his task came down to was his willingness to wait, and the only reason he had really been chosen was that at the moment he really had nothing else to do. It could almost be considered busy work, if it wasn't also highly needed to be done.

The man stopped right in the middle of the walkway, halfway between the two guard towers on either side, and turned to face the vast ocean. It was a beautiful sight. One he had seen often. And now, he felt a sort of peace inside of himself while looking at it. But that wasn't what he was up there for.

He had a job to do. And so he turned around and began leaning against the parapets in a casual stance. He would normally prefer a more military one, but he needed to give off an air of laxity. Appearing too uptight would work against him here. And so, he settled in for the long wait.

"Tell me, you four, why I shouldn't have you executed right here? Right now?"

The Mayor was sitting, once more, on the site of the old courthouse. But by now the ashes had long cooled. In fact, the wind had blown most of it away, and the citizens were taking some of the ruined wood to use for other things. Mostly for house repairs after the invasion, which had caused a large amount of property damage around the dock's entrance area where the vast majority of the fighting had taken place. Unfortunately, the wood wasn't exactly fitted properly so the repairs were all quite basic and the houses that ended up like a ramshackle hut from the combat were either stripped down or simply abandoned. The former residents were forced to either move to one of the empty homes or stay with another family.

But that wasn't the main concern at the moment. What was, was the fact that the four deserters weren't forgotten by the rest of the guards, and they were soon pointed out by the men after they had tried, and failed, to reintegrate themselves with the rest of the soldiers while the chaos of the battle's aftermath was still going strong. If there were more soldiers… it might have worked. However, they were the only ones to come out of the battle relatively unscathed, and so were paid extra attention and were quickly rounded up and brought before The Mayor for his judgement.

At their silence, the city leader continued.

"The four of you are all guilty of desertion. In fact, some could possibly consider that it was your fault that we have lost so many citizens and guards alike. But I also know that you were scared. And unlike last time, I'm actually interested in what you have to say. So, let's begin the trial. What do you have to say for yourselves?"

One of the men, the second in line, began to speak.

"I… I don't think we can say much. I mean, I was scared. I panicked in the face of danger. And I know we didn't- We shouldn't have done that. Shouldn't have even crossed our minds really You and the Captain trained us to fight, and it's not like we haven't fought the monsters before. It's just that this time, with them right in our faces, coming at us the huge swarm with their grins and their monstrous forms I… I just ran."

The Mayor stayed quiet for a moment before sighing. "And the rest of you? Are you of the same mind?"

"Yes sir."  
"Yes."  
"Yes."

The Mayor was torn. The men were good men. They were good _guards._ And they were capable. He didn't want to do it, but he knew he had to. To keep up some semblance of order in the city.

"The defendants have plead guilty to their charges of desertion of duty in the face of an enemy force. The charges are life imprisonment." He held up a hand to stop them as their heads rose to instinctively protest. "However, due to their previous actions in helping keep the city safe from outside forces and for the participation in multiple monster extermination events, I am allowed to lessen the charges slightly. Furthermore, due to the current state of the city, along with the continued crisis situation, I have decided to further reduce the charges."

The men's faces turned thankful. Awe filled even. And it sort of made sense. He was, after all, basically forgiving them of a crime that could conceivably get them executed on the mainland for treason, and had simply named it 'desertion of duty' on top of that.

"And so, you will face imprisonment for two weeks, and after your term ends you will be reinstated as guards of the city. You will be relegated to more dangerous tasks as well. You will no longer be allowed to handle weapons unsupervised. You must also spend any patrols or lookouts with another guard who is not among you. By my power as The Mayor of this city, that is your verdict."

The four guards didn't cry, but it was a close thing, and the other four guards there, all more injured than the deserters, had scowls on their faces.

"Sir," one of them spoke up, "Am I allowed to... Can I dispute your… This isn't fair. They abandoned us!" Around him, the other guards nodded, and the four new convicts winced at the man's words.

And the glares of the citizens around were also present. Unlike the previous trial, which was done with only The Mayor, Captain, Headmaster, and some guards present, this was a different case altogether and as the rules dictated in this situation, they were to allow as many civilians to stand by and watch the proceedings as well. And it wasn't like he could hide it either. Apparently one of the families witnessed the four men fleeing through the streets and away from the fighting, news that spread throughout the city in no time at all after the men had already been caught, and they had to be publicly outed less the citizenry fall into yet another riot at the idea that their protectors weren't, in fact, protecting them as they had believed.

The Mayor sighed at this. He understood why the man was angry. Why the other guards were angry. And why the citizens were angry. And worst of all, in most cases they would be completely in the right to. Even now they were in the right to, and the rapid whispers spreading through the crowd were legitimate. But just because something was right didn't mean it was what needed to happen.

"Please, calm down everyone," The Mayor asked them, "and let me explain myself." To his slight relief, they did so.

"The guards here have committed a crime, yes, but the circumstances are not the same as before."

"Well, how was it different last time?" one of the women in the audience called out. He idly noted that she was one of those married to one of the criminals that were killed so many weeks ago. No wonder she was so angry. She had a stake in this.

"Last time we were not in such dire straights. _Last_ time, we were not facing the possible destruction of the city with their imprisonment."

The crowd seemed to panic slightly before he amended his statement.

"Sorry. Right, I phrased that quite badly. What I meant was that the men and women who had been convicted previously had two different things about their situation, which were the reason why the sentence for these men has been so dramatically different. The first is the fact that we were not so short on citizens. We could afford their imprisonment because we had more people to obtain food. And sec-"

"No, that's not good enough!" the objector called out once again. "We're getting tons of food from the monsters we killed! We have more than enough to spare for them."

"Yes, I understand that, but that point leads into my second point."

"It doesn't matter how they're connected if the first one doesn't work."

"Please, just listen to me would you?"

"My husband didn't do anything nearly as bad as your _soldiers_ did, and the situation was a hell of a lot worse than it is n-"

"MY GOD WOMAN, LET ME SPEAK!" The Mayor finally shouted, his patience completely spent, and the all the citizens and guards alike recoiled at his enhanced voice that blasted out and nearly overwhelmed their ears. A few winced in pain, but at the moment The Mayor didn't really care.

"OKAY. So. The second reason is that, I am loathe to say, but we are low on trained guardsmen. We have only fifteen ready for combat at the moment, and if another incursion occurs we simply won't be able to fight it back. And if we can't kill monsters then that doesn't just mean that we're not going to be able to defend ourselves. It means that we will lose one of the few things that are keeping us fed, since we won't be able to harvest the monsters any longer due to us simply not having enough people capable of actually fighting."

The citizens were stunned at first, but him gaining their attention did have the added benefit of forcing them to listen to his words. And thankfully, they seemed to understand, at least in part. However, that didn't mean all of them did.

"I…" the woman from before started, b. The fact that she was willing to continue talking was admirable in and of itself, but it really wasn't what he needed right now. However he still knew that just shutting up anyone who objected to him was a one way route to rebellion and that would just make things worse. "I still can't accept that answer. W-We can fight too! Just have us do it! We can take their place. I know that crossbows aren't that difficult to use."

The Mayor had to held in another agonized groan. The woman was correct. They really _could_ teach more people. They wouldn't be anywhere as good at fighting as the guards were, a glorified citizen's militia essentially but half-trained instead of untrained, but they would still be a help. And he was actually planning to try some recruitment. But that didn't mean that he still needed all the guards he could, since three half-trained soldiers were only worth one fully trained one which counted double when it came to things like aiming a bow or crossbow where the long hours of practice were just as, or even more, important as the drive to fight in the first place.

"I understand what you want, but every trained man is essential. These are not just four random men on the street. These are four guards who have been trained to fight and die for the city. They know the ins and outs of combat far better than we could teach you in just a few short weeks. And I'm sorry, but I've already delivered my verdict. The decision is final."

He turned to the guards with a heavy feeling in his chest. A familiar one really. The feeling of tiredness.

"Guards, take the prisoners away."

And with that, he went down the small steps and began walking back to his tower, ignoring the harsh looks at his back. He knew he'd need to have a different Council member make the announcement.

There was too many harsh feelings between him and the citizens at the moment.

"Hey! You up there! Human!"

The Captain had been leaning against the parapet for about four hours straight, before he finally heard what he was waiting for. The sound of something calling out to him.

"Can you hear me?"

Or more specifically a monster.

He turned around, a smile on his face that seemed more fake than if it were made of plastic. But at the distance they were at, and the fact that monsters couldn't enhance their eyesight as well as a human using Spirit Energy could, it wouldn't be able to tell the difference between fake emotions and real ones. Something the Captain was banking on.

"Of course sweetie," he said in a joyful tone, though the almost motionless movement of his face, head, and body as he said it would instantly betray his deceptive actions if they were up close.

"S-Sweetie? I, uh, I mean… Yeah! Hi! I'm just wondering what you're doing up there!"

"Doing up here? Well to tell you the truth I was actually waiting for one of you guys!"

"Oh really?" it looked a bit skeptical at that, "And how am I supposed to believe that? I heard all about how you guys are holding a bunch of us hostage!"

"Aw, we were, but then we had that whole ship come inside and we talked things out. They really made us see what we were doing wrong. And, you know, we're all really sorry about what we did." As he spoke, the Captain's voice shifted into a more sorrowful and apologetic tone, but his smile didn't disappear for a moment, as if frozen in place.

"Really? You mean they got through to you guys? But I heard that you were-"

"They were _very_ persuasive."

The monster fell silent at the implications of his statement. The implication that the monsters had corrupted the minds, bodies, and very souls of the people on the island.

And it fell for the bait.

"You mean that? My sister was there! Can I talk to her? Oh, can you let the rest of us in then? I mean, we've been stuck out here forever and I can't wait to see what's inside that you guys have been hiding for so long! I mean, it's gotta be amazing and oh man I'm rambling again I'm sorry I do that sometimes and-"

"And it's okay. There were a lot of… mamono who were in that ship. Wherever she is, I'm sure she's busy. But you really gotta understand we can't let you in all at once, right? We gotta let you in a group at a time! You're also so amazing, and we can't just handle so many beauties coming into our little fortress all at once, you know?"

"Beautiful? Really? You think I'm beautiful?" The monster was now blushing. However, the Captain's face didn't change for a moment, though he did almost slip up in his own words.

"Of course I do," he lied, "and I can't wait for you to come inside and join us. So don't worry about anything anyone's been saying about monsters being imprisoned, okay? We're all happy here. We're just having a bit of a difficulty adjusting to so many new… girls here. You know?"

The young monster began quickly nodding in agreement.

"So, how about a pretty little thing like you goes and tells the rest of the monsters to calm down. You don't need to be scared of us, alright? I'd hate to see that expression on a cute face like yours."

He knew that she was probably already going to do what he said and that he didn't need to sprinkle in more compliments, but he also knew that every little bit helped. And with his last line, the monster finally seemed to be able to take no more and quickly fled. Fled to, he hoped, tell the rest of the Demonic scum hiding in the ocean that the humans 'accepted' them. That with the ship entering the fortress it was 'safe' to come in now. A laughable idea, but a single rumor would be all that was needed to draw some more monsters in. And they didn't need to trick them _all._ Just trick enough.

And so the Captain turned around and began walking away, back to the barracks. He had done his part.

Dinner, for the next few weeks, was served.


	27. Chapter 26 - Iceberg

Chapter 26 - Iceberg

 _So, you know. It happened. I got turned into a monster, and in repayment my boyfriend and brother got to go free. And all the monsters got, you know other than me, was a bunch of their comrades dead. Yeah, I still feel some vindictive glee at that. God, a lot of them were really pissed. Course, they couldn't actually kill me since the bounty was 'Alive Only' and it was put up by a Lilim which meant no one would go against it. Yeah, probably be the case for you too. You just never do anything like that, and probably never will. Oh, yeah, you might in that case. Well anyway, the monsterization starts and my body feels all tingly, and then it happens in one big burst. First you have a human, and then you have an Otohime. Yeah, they were real surprised at how I turned out. And it wasn't like I was a weak one either. No, I don't think I could stand up to you. Not how I am now. But if I had just my boyfriend to help. Or just my brother. Yeah, I could probably kill you no sweat. But yeah, you're right. I don't. Of course, the next few weeks, probably even a couple months, time blended into itself pretty badly, was spent in a constant daze. I hated it so much. I didn't have any control over my body at that time. Or I did, but only enough to keep me conscious and to stop myself from doing things. But I didn't leave the room I was in during that time. They were actually really surprised about that you know? Like, freaked the hell out surprised because 'whoa that's impossible like literally impossible and stuff' or something. I mean, it's not. I did it. But yeah, they were freaked out. Apparently most people who get corrupted and transformed only last, like, a day at most. Some only minutes. A few can't even fight it at all. Men are able to resist it the best though, far far more than the average woman. But I didn't know that at the time, and even if I did I wouldn't have cared. Because before I fully turned I told myself something that carried over when I was transformed. The only thing that was going through my mind was- Wait, no, the only TWO things going through my mind were these things. The first was that I was now a monster. And the second was that I needed to protect those I loved. And the third is that I had to stay away from them, or I'd hurt them forever. Which I guess is three things. Oh, and remembering my complete and utter hatred of all things monster. Which is four things. Whatever. Oh, yes, that does include you. Well suck it up, buttercup._

Week 14

The twelve guards who were currently healthy began walking towards the large net that had fallen onto the group of monsters, a large pool of blood already appearing underneath the many Demonic beings. More than usual due to the larger number of holes and wounds that littered the monsters' bodies. Of course this change was caused by the large number of new 'guards' that had helped take down the small horde of monsters.

"O-Oh my god," a woman said, shivering as she struggled to bring herself to her feet from the adrenaline, "that was terrifying. And they do this every time?"

The Captain nodded to her after spitting a large glob of saliva to the side.

"This is what the guards need to do to bring in food. It's a messy job, yes, and we've had people die because of it when things didn't go as we had expected, but it's something that needs to be done. No way around it."

The Captain stood with his crossbow hanging loosely from his hand, its point facing the ground, and was watching the guards as they began untangling the net from the bodies for organization. However, they were clearly having trouble.

"Right, this isn't enough people," the Captain said to himself before clearing his throat. "CITIZEN MILITIA, EYES ON ME! Now that I have everyone's attention, please turn your attention to the guards currently near the monsters. Your next task is to help the soldiers with their current job. Untangle the monsters from the net, and separate them into species. If you need help wi-"

"Hold on, why do we have to do that?" a citizen shouted, interrupting the man. The small scowl on his face easily told those around him that he really didn't like what he was hearing, and it wasn't just an honest question.

"You are going to be doing it, because if you don't then you don't get to eat."

His words sent a ripple of confusion and anger through the gathered citizens, but the guards continued to try and untangle the bodies without comment.

"What do you _mean_ we don't get to eat? We're volunteering our time and effort to help you out here. We should be getting more to eat for crying out loud!"

"That's not how it works in the guard," the Captain said, "because here only those who follow orders get food. And we don't get any more to eat than you do. Especially with the surplus we have now. Food is still rationed, and will be until further notice. The other guards are following these rules, and so shall you."

"If that's the case, then I quit!" the same man shouted, spitting to the side in disgust.

The Captain didn't even flinch.

"Feel free to. However, you do all made the vows. That you would serve the city with your life. And that you would accept any punishment that your commander sees fit if you fail in that task. Deciding to abandon your duties counts as failing this task, and so the punishment you will be given will be that will be assigned no rations for a period of one week. You'll need to ask your friends and family members for their shares."

At that, the men and women who had joined up realized their predicament. And, thankfully enough, they also understood that the terms of their work were actually quite fair. Especially since those contracted to work with the guard were only among those who didn't have jobs to do anymore, such as women who formerly worked as merchants or fishermen who were now out of the job with the many monsters filling the seas outside the fortress walls.

However, not all of them were happy with the arrangement. That didn't mean they wouldn't comply with his demands, but it could cause problems later. Not that the Captain seemed to care much, instead opting to watch the work occur passively before him, though the more observant among the citizens noticed that one of hands rested _almost_ casually on the hilt of his sword. But not quite casual enough to make the new workers feel like they weren't explicitly being threatened, though if this was the intention it was done well.

In only a few minutes, all of the new militia members had begun helping out the guards already working, bringing up the total number of workers up to forty. Some would say the number was small, but The Mayor had expressed quite a bit of relief, though also some trepidation, at the number of volunteers. The total number of guards, both real and volunteer, they had available would grow slightly once the others recovered from their injuries. However that didn't mean that they could simply sit around waiting while doing nothing.

The monsters would get suspicious eventually, and those willing enough to enter the fortress would narrow until only the stupid were left. And once _they_ were gone, they would run out of their new primary food source, meaning that the city would need to gather as much food as possible in the time they had, while still making sure not to attract too much attention. No more than one group in at a time. Plus, they constantly had to have the Headmaster come down and clean up the water and blood to stop the monsters from instantly being altered if any of it leaked out into the ocean or remained in the dock area while new monsters were swimming in.

Thankfully, there was one upside to the whole situation. The Headmaster was able to finish his work with the Heat Crystals, and in only a couple of hours the city would return to its normal temperature.

Of course, that didn't mean things were going to go back to the way they used to be any time soon.

"Ma'am? Hey, anybody awake in there?"

The Botanist groaned in pain as she dragged herself out of bed, the pounding at her door echoing loudly through her head, and wiped some of the drool off of her face that must have trickled out of her mouth while she was sleeping. She hoped she didn't really still do that often.

"Yes. Yes! I'm… I'm awake. What is it?" She felt the words come out awkwardly, but she also felt things get easier as she spoke. Things got more clear. Of course, the slight pain all throughout her body really didn't help. And neither did the large spot on her pillow. She had drooled a _lot._

"Going out sweetie?"

"Sorry?" the Botanist asked.

"No. It's nothing. Just don't take too long with that job of yours okay? You know how your baby brother gets when his sister is away for too long."

"Oh. Sorry grandma. I'll come back soon. Just do my rounds. You relax, okay?"

The Botanist threw on her small coat before walking to the door and unlocking it, coming face to face with a young guard, one of those who were too injured to fight, that was looking at her a bit strangely.

"Uh. Okay. So, uh, The Mayor told me to come and get you, and uh, you need to do the thing with the algae. Check them over. And stuff."

"Yeah, I'll get right on that," the Botanist said as she closed her door and began walking away, "so you can get back to whatever you were doing."

The guard stood there, a bit confused. It looked like she was fine and ready for work, like The Mayor had asked him to check, but…

Who was she talking to? Didn't she live alone?

"So Dockmaster, what's the latest haul?" The Mayor asked the man who was currently overseeing the group of citizens chopping up and separating the monsters into more manageable pieces. While it was initially quite a daunting task, seeing as they were essentially working with not only an entirely new species but one that had a very different set of organs altogether, their operations had gotten a lot more smooth over the past few harvests. People had picked up on what should be tossed immediately, what could be kept, and what could be kept but not actually eaten. Bones were a big one of the latter.

"Quite a few bones here, Dockmaster. Enough to make some soup stock." The Mayor commented idly.

"Yeah, should be good for the men," his eyes darted to the females of the workers momentarily, after wiping his mouth from some drool that may have been from the idea of a better meal, "and women of course. Honestly, you can only have cooked fish so many times before you need something different. Too bad we don't have any flavouring…"

"I'm sure if we mix up some of the different kinds we can manage something… Oh! That one over there. That's a new one, isn't it?" The Mayor walked over to one of the bodies. "Ah, this'd be a… Flow Kelp I think they're called. Rarely see these above water."

"Ah, I think I remember seeing one before. Some of the boys got it caught up in a net a few years back. Got real risky for a bit apparently, but they pulled through. Think it'll be good for something sir?" The Dockmaster was already smirking however. He knew it would be added to the pot.

"Oh, yes, definitely. But you'll need to boil it for a few hours. Some of the Demonic Energy stays in the leaves for a while. You start swallowing some of the leaves without properly preparing it first and it'll do some pretty horrible stuff to your insides. And I don't even mean in the corruptive way, though thank god for that."

"Hmph, I'll get some people on that. So what do you think about-"

"Heya, sir!" the Quartermaster called out, grabbing both the other Council member's attentions, though The Mayor simply motioned for the man to continue as he drew closer.

"I was checking the crossbow bolts over, and we might have a bit of a problem."

The Mayor quirked a confused, and quite concerned, eyebrow up. "The bolts? What are you talking about? They're-"

"Falling apart. Yeah they're made to be able to withstand a lot of damage so we can reuse them, but they're not supposed to be used so frequently. The enchantments need a sort of charge up time before they can be used again, and most of the time the need for the things don't come so frequently so there's enough of a gap between uses that things work out pretty well. But now that we're using them every three or four days, and even more often now that we're on a sort of time limit, they're simply not going to last much longer." The Quartermaster finished his assessment with a small shrug while loudly swallowing.

"Right then," The Mayor said, mind racing, "do you think we can make some crossbow bolts?"

"With the same enchantments? No. But yes, I can see what you're getting at. We can make some normal ones. Might have to fiddle with it a bit, see if we can scavenge up some metal from unused pottery and the like, but we should be able to get something. But we're gonna need some more manpower for it. And the Fletcher ain't here anymore to guide us."

"I'll see if I can find anyone with spare time. But for making them correctly, you could probably check the library. Maybe we have some books on basic bolt making techniques, or even just fletching in general. Might be some crossover between them that you can get if it's something on the super basic stuff. And if not, then take apart some of the practice bolts and the most damaged of the actual ones. See if you can figure out the bare skeleton of their construction from that."

"Will do sir," the Quartermaster said, before turning around and heading out the door.

The Mayor sighed to himself. There was always another problem.


	28. Chapter 27 - Overflow

Chapter 27 - Overflow

 _So it takes a couple of weeks, months, whatever, and I finally get out of my room with a clear mind. I mean it's not the clearest since the Demonic Energy is still running through me chaotically, but it's a heck of a lot better than before. And so because of that, when a couple of monsters, pretty powerful ones at that I could tell, came up to me asking if I wanted to go and reclaim my old boyfriend to be my toy, I didn't accept as I would have if I had left when I was still delirious. Instead, I smashed the one who asked me through a wall. They got the message after that. Well okay, it took a couple more, but it eventually got pounded into their heads that I didn't want any of that. But yeah, I was a monster in the middle of monster territory and with only monsters around me. And also I was on land. As a water based monster. So you can probably understand why I was reluctant to actually try and start a big old fight. What? No, it's because I'd lose and really accomplish nothing. Huh? Oh yeah, there was one upside to the whole turning into a monster thing. I stayed young. Yeah, see humans don't just get wrinkly when they get older. They get weak too. And not even just "oh look at me I'm so frail and smell bad" but you start to lose the Spirit Energy reserves you used to have. Like, it starts to get smaller and smaller over time, starting when you're about forty or so. Not too dramatic, but you can't actually increase what you have from that point on either. It's why only the strongest humans have any amount of strength when they're old farts. Anyway it seems like staying in the Demon Realm really makes you lose track of time, because after I realized where I was, and headed to the Great Library it had already been a couple of years. My whole journey there while learning how my body worked and what its limits were I mean. Yeah, I had to cross a lot of terrain. Oh, and an entire ocean. So don't get snappy with me. What? The Library? You really don't know? It's a giant place where all of the Demon Lords put the information they recorded. Was built as an extremely powerful artifact by the Second Demon Lord who was some sort of super-Illithid or something. Anyway, they have a whole bunch of stuff in there. It's what helped me cook up this plan in the first place. Though to be honest I sort of lost track of time. I mean there was just so much stuff there, you know? And someone had to make some new entries on the best way to kill monsters, so why wouldn't I?_

The Mayor walked quickly into the meeting room, the other members of the Council present, and with an angry look on his face didn't waste any time with formalities.

"Alright, everyone report what in God's name happened this morning. Six murders, in the streets, in broad daylight while people were in line to get their rations. What… What have we figured out." He started off with a furious voice, but by the end his face shifted to a more tired one and he collapsed onto his seat in defeat. He couldn't do anything to help those already dead.

The Quartermaster stood up while handing a small folder to The Mayor, who began flipping through it.

"I went to the storage rooms and looked up everyone, both those who were killed and the perpetrators themselves. Those are the files of everyone we had, if they had them. And as far as a criminal record goes, only one of them had any offences listed, but it was just for minor theft when he was a teenager. Not something as bad as this. Other than that, they were all regular citizens."

"Yeah, I took a look at the files too before you got here," the Accountant added with a confused face, "and what I saw was that there didn't seem to be _any_ pattern between the victims and attackers. They all had different jobs, you know before the whole trapped here till we die thing, and none of the victims even acted provocatively. It's like they just attacked people out of nowhere."

The Mayor spent another twenty seconds flipping through each of the files, hoping he'd see something the others had missed, but failed and handed the file back.

"Hrm, how old are these records Quartermaster? Any chance that we simply hadn't updated them yet?"

"There might be but that still doesn't explain enough. I mean, well actually how about you report this bit Captain? You probably have more info than I do about this matter. It was your guards that stopped the situation after all." The Quartermaster passed off the attention to the man currently standing at attention almost motionlessly, even though the rest were sitting down. With a face and voice devoid of feeling, just as it had been ever since the invasion, the Captain nodded and began speaking, though not before loudly swallowing.

"Some new information has come to light. Initially we believed that there were six murders, with each victim having a single killer. However, it seems that there were in fact eight murders today." He paused for a moment as he waited for the mutters in the Council to subside. "The last two were both committed by the same person, and both victims were members of his family. A third member, who was a family friend, was able to give more information about what happened prior to the attack and it sheds new light on all of these cases."

"So we've figured out why they did it?" The Mayor asked with an excited tone in his voice with a similar feeling spreading through the rest of the Council.

"No sir," the mood abruptly fell at that, "but the perpetrator was in fact acting quite erratically. Apparently he was complaining loudly about pain and the family suspected he was experiencing some minor hallucinations. Before he attacked his actions became more random and eventually he seemed to snap and tried to kill everyone in the household. The injuries on all of the bodies, including those outside, were consistent with those of human bites, scratching with nails, and others. Interestingly enough, none of the attacks were done with weapons, and those asked after the event s took place all described the attackers as being feral."

"Feral you say," The Mayor commented, "do you think it has any similarities to the actions of the citizens who seemed to go berserk during the invasion?"

"I wouldn't know sir."

"I was there though, while the good Captain was trying to get rid of the monsters that had snuck past us," the Headmaster said. "And from the short glimpse I saw, I can say that they were acting _quite_ like how some of the more rabid citizens acted. I probably wouldn't have noticed if you hadn't pointed it out. Maybe I had tried to repress those memories. Anyway, there are two different causes as far as I can tell. Either there's some sort of sickness spreading around, one that's different than the one that people are catching already, or it's some sort of mass hysteria."

The Council fell silent before the Dockmaster spoke up.

"The Doctor would probably know."

"Yes, but he threw himself off the walls," the Botanist scowled, "and killed himself to get away from this place. He abandoned us."

"Oh don't get so worked up. It was just an observation. And a true one at that." the Botanist barely held herself back at the Accountant's words. Through force of will, however, and possibly remembering what happened last time she was able to restrain herself from repeating her assault.

"Right then. How do we stop it from spreading?" the Dockmaster asked, carefully facing away from the two bickering people near him.

The Headmaster could only throw up a hand in defeat. "I don't know. I looked through some of the books, but it wasn't anything I could find. Or at least nothing I could narrow down. You'd think that a sickness that made you try and kill those around you would be easy to find, but apparently it's harder than that. I looked around, but when I made a small list I tried to figure out how they were spread and none of them would have worked. I even thought of rabies, but that still doesn't fit. With how we've been handling the food it still wouldn't spread and it's been shown that monsters don't catch diseases that humans and normal animals can get, and that humans can't catch what Demons can get."

"Well then, what can we do?" The Mayor asked the Council. "We _need_ to give people answers."

"But we don't have any."

"Then let's make some up!"

"Or we could just stall."

The group fell silent at the Quartermaster's suggestion.

"Stall? What on earth do you mean?" asked The Mayor with confused look on his face.

"Well frankly, both you and I know that we're not going to be figuring out what's going on any time soon. So let's just buy time until we do. Just tell the folks that we're looking into things and trying to find the cause of the problem. It's not a lie either. We're actually doing that. And if we don't, hopefully the knowledge that we're actually trying to do something at all will help out. Calm them all down a bit."

The Mayor thought about the suggestion carefully. It was… not a bad idea at all to be truthful. Would it actually work long term? No. But it wasn't meant to. And now that he thought about it, he felt a little bit ashamed of himself. His mind had instantly jumped to "how do I deceive the people I'm supposed to protect to keep them calm" instead of trying to find away to keep them calm while not letting himself lie to them. Instead of how he used to do things, back before the whole situation started.

"I think we're going to be doing that," he announced.

No one made any objections. Though if it was because they agreed, or simply couldn't come up with anything better was unknown.

"Sir, can you see it?"

"Yes I can soldier. And that does _not_ bode well. Go get the Headmaster as soon as possible."

"Sir!"

It was only two days after they had released the news that they didn't understand what was happening and the populace was split. On one hand they were happy that their leaders were being honest. But on the other hand it was directly admitting that they had no idea what was happening. And things may have gotten worse if they hadn't been able to hush up the incidents that had occurred over the course of the last couple of days. Three more deaths from an attacker, who all had to be put down. Unlike before they weren't shocked out of their daze from a sharp blow or getting knocked out. While trying to break out, one of them dislocated their arm while trying to rip himself out of his bindings. It was a mercy kill more than anything.

But there were also the cases of paralysis that had been spreading around. People found in their beds unable to move. Some were able to blink, but even then it was rare. And so, knowing that they hadn't the resources to help them, knowing that the _only_ fate they had was to die slow deaths of malnutrition or dehydration seeing as they had no way to feed the paralyzed citizens, they had to be euthanized.

The Mayor hated that he'd had to kill more than one of the people he had sworn to protect out of the idea of saving them from more pain. He did the deed himself. No reason to force the guards to have greater weights on their souls.

Whatever the case, all the bodies were incinerated, and despite the trying times the people's spirits had risen with the Heat Crystals now working full time. It was strange really, how much of a difference having some heat in your life had on your overall happiness. But as they say, you never really know what you had until you lost it. But those happy feelings weren't present as he stood on the walls, staring out at the horizon.

Staring at the goddam _tornado_ that was heading towards the city from far in the east, and what looked to be like floating platforms that held catapults from the west. Still though, there was something strange about this attack. And not just the fact that the tornado was obviously created and being directed by magic.

The monsters, what few faces he could see from the distance behind their hair which was flapping in the wind, didn't look happy. Or even excited. They all looked… grave. Like what was happening wasn't something they either approved of, or wanted to do. A couple had slightly hopeful looks, but the majority seemed sad. Of course, he distinctly noticed that this sadness only appeared when they were looking at the readily approaching tornado, and their mouths quirked up when looking at the catapults. Which annoyed him greatly. What was so great about catapults anyway? A trebuchet would be far superior for besieging a city!

Before his mind could continue to wander, the Headmaster came up the stairs, breathing slightly heavily.

"Sorry about taking so long Blade," he panted out, "my limbs have felt all weird and weak lately. Honestly I'm worried I'm coming down with something. Whatever it is, I… I don't really know to be honest. I'm just hoping my body can fight it off as I am. They say that high Spirit Energy makes you nearly immune to normal diseases right?" He finished what he was saying with a slight joking tone.

The Mayor didn't answer however, and let the man catch his breath. He knew staying on that line of dialogue wouldn't lead to good things. And there were more important subjects that needed to be addressed anyway.

"Well now that you're here, I'm sure you understand the situation, right?"

The Headmaster stayed silent for a few seconds, before sighing sadly. "Yes, I think I do. But if I'm going to be trying to stop those catapults from firing, I'm going to have a hard time stopping that tornado."

"Yes, I had guessed as much," The Mayor grunted, "but how about just redirecting them? Maybe having their payloads land on the outskirts of town?"

"That might work. And if they're biological? Or are meant to break on impact?"

"...You'll need to stop them completely. Or blow them up in the sky. As long as they don't land in populated areas, then I'm satisfied. But what about the tornado? I know you have trouble with wind magic sometimes, and you were only able to do that, what, twice? Ever?"

The Headmaster shrugged. "Honestly, I'm not too worried. I think I know a way to stop it. Of course there's still the problem around if I'll have enough Magic to disperse it after stopping whatever the catapults are firing. The faster they're moving and what they're made of, the harder it will be to stop them from entering the city limits or redirecting them at all. And even-"

"No, I get it. You don't need to tell me. I think we've actually had this conversation in the past." The Mayor said.

Both paused before small smiles grew on their faces and the Headmaster snorted in amusement.

"Well, I'll head up to the tower now to wait for-"

"THEY'RE FIRING!" a guard screamed, and the two retired adventurers spun towards the giant rafts in alarm. And to their dawning horror the lookout's words were true. But it wasn't just one or two catapults that were firing. It was _all_ of them, simultaneously. Even as they took in the scene all of the monsters on the rafts were already jumping off, leaving the small staging area abandoned as they fled from the Tornado that was steadily approaching the city. Not so close that the monsters were being sucked in, but close enough that the water around the rafts were already becoming more and more chaotic.

"Guess I'm starting now then!" the Headmaster babbled out as magic began flowing into his staff while he brought it up in front of him.

The Mayor could feel the swirls of power building up inside his old adventuring companion. But despite the implicit trust he had in the man, that didn't mean he still trusted that he could do it himself. Back when he was young the mage was powerful enough to handle this sort of thing, but now in his old age? He knew that he himself was greatly weakened to such a degree that it was pitiful, but he didn't know just how much it had affected the Headmaster. Whatever the case, he was weaker, and because of this fact, it might not be enough. And they both knew it.

The Headmaster's eyes closed, and his hands started emitting a strange aura that was suddenly sucked inwards as he stopped the leakage of Magical Energy and put everything he had into concentrating on the incoming projectiles.

"Caster, they seem to be stone. Strange outcroppings all over them with holes on the end of each, but none have any sort of biological matter on them. If they have anything inside then we should probably be able to plug the holes. And if not, we can either kill whatever is inside or just move everyone away."

"Got it Blade. I'll redirect their landing zones to unoccupied areas." The Headmaster's staff didn't move, but the slight shift in the winds around him told even those not experienced in magic that something had changed. And as the giant misshapen stones flew through the air, the soldiers watched in awe as they seemed to change their paths in mid-flight. Nearly all of them entered the city, but one fell short into the water, and another smashed into the wall where it bounced off, small bits of stone falling but the whole thing staying remarkably intact. The wall, to the surprise of the guards, looked completely untouched, the inherent magical enchantments doing their work perfectly.

However, the two men on the walls still had to try and ignore the shouts of surprise and fear, and block out the sounds of houses being smashed into pieces. Better those than people however.

But as the Headmaster lowered his arms, The Mayor was alarmed to see the man was visibly panting.

"What the… What on earth is wrong? I know you have more power than this."

"I-I do too! I can't figure it out! I shouldn't be this weak. And god, why does my body suddenly hurt so much?" The Headmaster began clenching his sides in pain while leaning heavily on the parapets. However his clothing began flapping in the wind and The Mayor could feel the air whipping at his face.

"Caster. Caster, the tornado is speeding up."

"What?"

To both the men's dismay, The Mayor's words were true. The tornado seemed to be accelerating towards the city, and the two realized the monster's plan. They must have somehow known that the tornado would be extinguished at some point, and so were hoping to overwhelm the defenders against it by just throwing it against the fortress before it could happen. It would cost them a _lot_ of power, but it would be enough.

"Caster. Do you think you can do this?"

The Headmaster smirked, but it was clear to both that it was false bravado. Or at least it was until the man got a strange look on his face.

"You know Blade, I always wanted to go out in style."

"Caster, no."

"Hah, too bad. Your objection is overruled."

"This is no time for jokes! You'll d-"

"Die. Yes. And it will hurt like a _bitch._ But we both know that if we want this city to survive, then that thing is gonna have to be stopped. Our walls may be tall, but they don't reach the goddam clouds themselves. You know, the worst thing is that this feels so sudden. I kinda expected my end to be in a giant battle, but it just-"

"Please, just stop you moron," The Mayor faux complained. "But you better accept that I'm not leaving you here alone."

"Ha, fine."

With that, the Headmaster began channeling magic, pushing himself back up into a standing position despite the clear pain he was in. As he stood there his clothing slowed its movement, the wind around him seeming to stop entirely. But his staff began to glow a bright orange, a mixture of high heat and the sheer amount of Magical Energy flowing through it. But it didn't stop there. The man's staff continued to glow brighter and brighter, and sweat began beading on the man's forehead while his breathing became heavy.

Only five seconds later, he was practically wheezing in exhaustion. But he didn't stop, because the Tornado didn't either.

His body didn't fall though, almost like it was being held up not by his own will alone but by the magic he was channeling. And then he seemed to hit a limit.

"Well, it looks like this is as far as my body can go," he smirked, and though the tornado was approaching quickly and the wind was picking up all around them his voice carried easily to The Mayor's ears. "God, this hurts. But you know what? There's one upside to all this."

The Mayor didn't move or speak, but he did quirk an eyebrow at the man in askance.

"After I'm done, I can take a nice long break up in heaven with my wife and kid. Hope I don't see you there for quite a while."

The Mayor stayed quiet before choking out a quiet "Thank you."

The Headmaster just laughed in response. "Thought I told you not to thank me. God, you never learn you moron."

And after he said this, his body began glowing orange as well, his mouth opening up in a soundless scream as he started pulling out Magical Energy away from his body and into the spell, his intentions taking control of his body and actions and stopping himself from ending the magic he had put into motion. And just like the staff he was holding, his body didn't lessen in its glow, instead getting brighter and brighter as time went on, but The Mayor didn't pull away or avert his eyes. He knew this would be the last time he'd see his friend, and he was determined to make it count.

The man continued to glow, but steam was visibly coming off of him and a small crack appeared on the end of his staff, which quickly began to spread down it until the whole thing looked like it was ready to shatter at any moment, and The Mayor knew that something similar would probably be happening to his friend, but the glow had overcome the man's skin to such a degree that he couldn't see his bare flesh anymore.

And then, in a single instant, the tornado stopped. And in the next, it seemed to simply fade away, the winds dispersing into their usual calmness.

But where the Headmaster had been standing there was now only a cracked through staff, useless to anyone in the state it was in.

But the city was safe. And… everything would be okay now, right?


	29. Chapter 28 - Submerged

Chapter 28 - Submerged

 _I think it was about then that my mind started racing. I wanted… I still wanted to see him. My boyfriend. The one I loved. I knew that some of it might be the new monster side of me talking, but I also knew that it was the human part. Or the ME part anyway. And yet I was scared that I'd lose control. That I'd use up all my steam at the start and never make it far enough. So I started looking things up to try and keep my head straight. Started talking to other monsters when the books didn't help. And, man, it must have been nearly twenty years before I realized what sort of circular trance I had been drawn into. And not all of it was learning you know. A lot of the time I just sort of sat there in silence. Thinking. About him. And about what I found I wanted from him now. Forcing myself to stop, because I knew that as I was I'd just screw things up and end up dead. It was around that time that I met a Lilim. Small thing, shorter than me at least when I was naturally, uh, standing or whatever. I don't really know what to call it. I mean my lower body is just a giant dragon tail, so I don't know where I can consider my 'feet' to be. Sorry, I'll get back on track. Yeah, you're about to show up. So this Lilim arrives at the Library, looking for some info, and I instantly realize that she's different from the others. See, she wanted- No, this wasn't you. You're coming up after. So this Lilim, she wanted everyone to be happy, but she didn't think about it in the normal way that a Lilim does. She wanted everyone to 'become one' or something. But she meant EVERYONE, not just groups of people becoming one. So that got me thinking, what were the other Lilim like? Were they as different from the normal monsters as this one was? So I went out and tried to meet them. But, uh, to be completely honest, most of the time I was really disappointed. They all acted the same, you know? All domineering, super self-absorbed, and just wouldn't shut up about pointless things. It was… Well, it was annoying. And I was losing hope..._

 _Oh, sorry. Phased out there for a second._

 _So I was losing hope. I didn't know if I'd find anyone. I was falling into despair, but not the... not the good kind. But then everything changed when I met you! Yeah, I did. You understood me on a level no one else did. You understood what I wanted, and even better you wanted the same thing for yourself. The time we spent together, I think it's been some of the happiest days of my life. It's a bit embarrassing to say, but I think you're my best friend. Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. But I know I'm your best friend too. Oh, you can't turn away from me. I see that blush. But yeah. We understood each other. We both wanted that… We both wanted that feeling that I felt. That single moment of despair and hopelessness. And I knew that you were the key to it. That you could help me. And that I could help you. The friend thing was a bit unintentional, but I wasn't too disappointed when it came about. And now, like you asked so long ago, I'm telling you my story. Yeah, it was an old promise. But you still remember what doing so meant, right? Ha, I'll remind you then. The deal was that when you, The Twenty Sixth daughter of the Demon Lord heard how I came to be here, then you would use all the power you had in you to help me finally achieve my dream. Hey, I've already helped you loads with yours. Yeah, you already have a scenario in mind, don't you? Ha, knew it. Well then, I also have mine. So. Are you ready to help me? Cool. That's… Yeah. Sorry, I'm just a bit happy right now. Yes I'm crying, shut up. No, no, I'm good._

 _Now, let's get started._

Week 15

The Council sat quietly around the large stone table. Or at least some of them did. But none of them spoke. They hadn't for a while. When it was first assembled the Council had eleven people, all who contributed to the life of the city in their own way, but now they were down to six. And of those left, three weren't present, leaving only The Mayor, the Accountant, and the Dockmaster in the meeting hall. Despite the warmth that filled the room the three men instead felt a coldness deep in their bones, and the current absence of the other three members was the main cause though they didn't know whose was the worst.

The Botanist had been found talking to an empty chair in her room despite the rest of her family never having even visited the island, all of them housed safely on the mainland and far away from any danger. And from what they could remember, the grandmother she was talking to had already died so many years ago.

The Quartermaster had woken up and had found that he couldn't move his left leg. Nonetheless he still somehow made it all the way to The Mayor himself to report this, and was quickly sent back to his room. Both men knew what was happening to him. He had caught the same paralyzing sickness that so many others had gotten. So many were _still_ getting.

Over the past four days since the tornado had struck, nearly thirty people had been found paralyzed in their beds while a few more were found collapsed in the streets. That alone would be more than enough cause for alarm, and not just because of how much fear it spread. The fact of the matter was, there were less than one hundred and fifty people on the island. Many had died to sickness, a few more had died to monster attacks, and yet a couple more had died in fights. And murders. And yet even when things already seemed so hopeless the stalling to try and find a reason for the violent outbursts and paralysis of the new disease spreading around finally collapsed in on itself, the citizens finally losing their patience and demanding answers that would never come.

And from that anger came an unprecedented outbreak of random violence, as whatever had caused so many to go insane with rage seemed to go into overdrive and people began killing each other in the streets. The few guards that were left, numbering only twelve in total even after counting both those who could no longer be on active duty as well as the new recruits, couldn't stop the attacks. In fact, at least one guard had already been killed by a small group of raging civilians, and another fell to the same sickness and turned on his comrades.

And because of this, the Captain was absent from the Council meeting. But he wasn't diseased like the rest. Instead he was doing something that had to be done. Something that they had all decided was the only option left.

Pacifying the insane the violently insane, with lethal force if necessary. They couldn't afford not to.

How do you jail someone who's willing to kill themselves to get at you? To safely restrain someone who will rip off their own limbs to escape? One woman had been tied up securely, but had simply began smashing her head into the ground until she abruptly stopped moving and was pronounced dead only moments later.

"Why?" The Mayor croaked out, getting the attention of the other two people in the room. "Why has this happened? We… We had finally figured something out. We had a workable plan to survive. We have food, water, heat, a place to sleep at night. So why? WHY DID THINGS END UP LIKE THIS?" The Mayor was seething with anger, but his mouth didn't begin to froth nor did he attack the others. Despite rage seeming to be one of the triggers for the insanity to erupt from someone, it seemed that those with high Spiritual Energy were immune, or possibly greatly resistant to it. Or just delayed how long it took for it to properly infect someone.

However despite his questioning he got no answers. The Accountant and Dockmaster could only stay silent. What could they say?

"Caster, do-" he stopped abruptly, remembering that his longtime friend was gone. Something that he found he still had trouble processing.

"Sir, I… May I be dismissed? There's something I need to do."

Both The Mayor and the Dockmaster looked over to the Accountant as he broke the awkward atmosphere. They were interested, yes, but only because it brought the possibility of taking their minds off of the situation.

"What is it?" The Mayor asked.

"It's, well," the Accountant fumbled with his words, "the Botanist. I'm going to try and, not make amends but try and make peace with her. I guess this whole situation is putting things in perspective, so I might as well try and, you know, tie up loose ends. Make sure I've said my piece. I don't know if she'll be… If she's still going to be able to talk. I don't know if she's been paralyzed or whatever yet. But I just want to say sorry I guess."

The Mayor took a deep breath before speaking. "You know, she might have fallen into insanity. She could hurt you."

"Maybe she could. I'll… I'll bring a knife or something. Or I'll knock first. I don't know. I just… It's something I need to do. And you don't have to be so worried about me you know. It's not like I'm going to drop dead any time soon." The Accountant smirked as he said that. It was a small one, but the others chuckled along anyway. The man was right on that last point after all. Out of everyone in the city, other than the Captain and The Mayor, he was probably the healthiest. They couldn't really figure out why though. He lived near others, dined next to them, and interacted with people on a daily basis. Yet he seemed fine.

"If you're sure, then you can go. You're not going to be missing anything anyway. Do you want us to come with you? She's only in a different room in this building, but you never know if someone else has gotten in."

"I appreciate the thought but… No. This is something I have to do by myself. If someone else was there I think I'd chicken out." The Accountant's self deprecating joke fell flat though. It was clear that he was at least a bit scared about what might happen. And the fact that he was considering apologizing at all despite how he normally acted told The Mayor and Dockmaster more than enough about what his emotional state was like.

"Thanks."

The Accountant quietly walked out of the room, and The Mayor turned to face the window, looking at one of the large stones that had landed inside the city. No one was killed, but though he had investigated them himself he couldn't find anything strange about them. Other than their weird shape, long hollow tubes that looked like they were there naturally dotting all around the surface which somehow hadn't broken on impact with the ground, there was nothing actually unnatural about them. He considered trying to lift one up, but discarded the thought. It wouldn't do any good. Plus, where would he even put them? Spending his Spirit Energy just to move some rocks around was such a waste.

What… What was the point of anything anymore?

The Captain strode through the city, sword coated in a layer of red blood. Blood he knew had come from those who now went against the will of the city. In the back of his mind there was a small voice yelling at him to stop, but he easily quashed it. After all, he knew that what he was doing wasn't right. In fact, one could possibly consider doing what he was as going directly against his oaths. The oaths he had taken so many years ago, that bound him to the protection of the city and its people with every fiber of his being. Because the blood that coated his blade wasn't that of a monster or a bandit, but those of the citizens. Citizens that had been driven insane by what could only be the machinations of a monster. And so, if thought of that way, what he was doing was no crime but a service. He was sending their souls to heaven!

He told himself this with every man and woman he came across that were attacking the innocents, or even he himself.

His eye caught movement, and he quickly dashed towards the small abandoned house that contained the criminal. Three of them, all of them huddled over something.

"I-It's a sword!" one of the insane said, "I got it off of... Well, I got it off of one of the dead guards. Looked like he offed himself with it. The crazy people, we can defend ourselves from them with it. But I'm… I can't move my right arm. I don't think I'm going to last much longer guys."

One of them grabbed the one who was speaking by the shirt. He noted how aggressive the action was and realized that they could probably fight among themselves, making his job easier.

"Like hell you aren't! Look, maybe we can find something in the storage area."

"Give it up," said the woman among them, "the oh so wise Council probably took whatever the cure is for themselves. I bet they don't even care. I mean it's like The Mayor hasn't even really _seen_ what's happening down here. This place has been hell for the past two weeks. And he just sits up there in his tower screwing around and only comes out to show off. Haven't even seen their wizard. Probably tired himself out trying to scare us with that tornado he made."

The Captain continued to watch them, noting that they could speak to each other coherently. He wasn't aware that the infected could do that. But then again, he had spent most of his time around the rabid beasts just killing them. One even tried to run away, but he cut her down before she could continue to harm the innocent civilians. And so once more he began walking towards the afflicted, ready to cleanse them of their sins.

"Well then- Wait. What's that sound? Mother of God, it's the Captain! Sir, are you… Sir?"

The man was staring at him with a bit of fear and realization in his eyes. The other two were slowly edging towards the weapon behind him.

"Sir, are you oka-" the Captain shut the man up with a single swing of his sword. The words of a traitor were of no value, even if he did not _mean_ to betray the city.

"OH MY GOD! G-Get the sword. Get the sword!" The other man began yelling hysterically. He was probably about to go berserk, just like the rest of the infected. It would be good to stop him before he went too far.

And just like the rest, the Captain's blade easily pierced the man's heart from the front and he slowly lowered the body to the ground. Though it was defiled he knew that the man's soul was probably on its way to heaven and he had no desire to disrespect the dead. But as he placed the body on the stone ground of the ruined building, closing its eyes, he felt something pierce into his shoulder blades through a hole in his armour and brought himself into a standing position while ignoring the searing pain that spread through his body.

The last of the infected was stumbling to the ground, staring up at him in fear.

Good. The thing was right to be scared. But he would end those feelings soon enough when he helped it pass on safely.

"What the hell are you?" it asked pointlessly, as if it expected him to answer or to stop.

He gave it his answer and lowered the new corpse to the ground.

However as he left the ruined house he felt something running down his arm and chest, and placed a hand on the skin there. Pulling away he found… blood? For a few moments he couldn't figure out whose blood it was, but as he stood on the empty streets he eventually realized that it was his own. It was his blood. He found the sight strange. After all, things only bled when he cut them. And he only cut criminals. When was he injured? Did he do it to himself? He must have.

Did this make him a criminal? Did that mean he was a threat to the people?

If so there was only one thing that could be done. And the Captain proceeded to plunge his sword into his neck.

As he felt his body collapse onto the ground, he found himself regretting the fact that he couldn't help the people of his city any longer.

But at least he was still pure.

The Assistant quietly walked through the hallway, heading towards the Botanist's room. Though he had a small knife in his hands for protection, just in case, he still didn't feel very safe. In fact, he felt like having a weapon actually put him in greater danger than before since now those who saw him might register him as a threat. But not having one was probably an even worse idea, so he didn't let up on his grip.

However, despite his fears he never met a single soul in the building. The Mayor and Captain had made sure that it was locked shut. Though he supposed it wouldn't really stop someone who was truly determined it was better than nothing, and he was able to make it to his colleague's room untouched. There wasn't a guard in front of it any longer. Maybe he had run outside to try and help. Maybe he just walked away. The Accountant really couldn't blame him if he did the latter. After all, he himself probably would have if given the chance.

"You in there?" he asked while rapping twice on the strong wooden door, "It's, uh, it's me. I was hoping to talk to you for a bit."

A small part of him hoped she was conscious enough to refuse him. To tell him to go away. But there was no answer, and he knew that he'd have to go inside.

Thankfully, the small key was still in the door and with a quick twist it was unlocked. A moment later and he pulled it open.

"No, no, grandmother you don't have to do that. I can get it for you." He found the Botanist walking towards one of the cabinets on the wall while speaking to no one, taking out a small mortar and pestle and placing it on a round table where two chairs were pulled out. She quietly sat in one of them while staring at the empty seat behind her, and the Accountant leaned on the door frame as he idly watched her.

"Yes grandmother, I've been practicing. I'm going to be getting a mentor-ship soon, just like I said I would… Of course, I'll show you what I learned. I'll just whip up a small tonic. It's supposed to help with back pains."

He… He hated watching this. Watching her awkwardly handle the tool she should be an expert in using, her hand shaking uncontrollably.

"Hey, uh, I know you can't hear me right now," he said, rubbing his arm in embarrassment, "but I guess I'll just say my part and leave."

He could only watch as she tottered across the room, seeming to grab random small objects and placing them in the small wooden bowl, before starting to move around the sculpted rock inside of it in a mashing motion with unfocused eyes that seemed to be staring at nothing.

"I know you're probably… We're both not going to live much longer. I mean I didn't ever think things would get this bad. It's like things just started moving so fast and I… I just came to say sorry I guess. Sorry for being snide. For baiting you into all those arguments. For, I don't know, just stuff."

She didn't respond, though the small stone tool she was using slipped out of her hand. She continued the motion she was doing before regardless.

"You… Why am I even here? I thought I would feel something. But you're not even listening. You NEVER listen. You always just go on about wanting to help others and stuff. Well what about the rest of us, huh? What about me? I'm one of those people! I may not be the most important guy around, but I'm important to _me,_ you know? I… I just don't want to die. Why couldn't you ever understand that?"

"Oh, don't worry grandmother, I'll get that for you."

He was standing upright now, though he hadn't properly entered the room. He both wanted, and didn't want, to go in. Wanting to confront her, but also to stay away.

And when a hand shoved him strongly into the room, sending him tumbling across the ground before crashing into the Botanist's chair and the empty one beside her, it was clear that someone else had made the choice for him.

Even as he scrambled to his feet, all he saw was a glimpse of black hair and then the door slammed shut with a small clicking noise followed by the sound of something metal snapping a moment afterwards.

"You…" he heard behind him.

He spun around once more, now seeing the Botanist slowly pulling herself up off of the ground, and stepped backwards in fear at the look on her face.

"You… I hate you. You hurt her. You hurt me." as she spoke, the woman started to walk towards him and the Accountant ran to the door desperately trying to open it. But it remained shut. It had been locked from the outside, and something was wrong with the inner unlocking mechanism. No matter how much he pulled or twisted the door refused to move.

"IHATEYOUIHATEYOUIAHAHHHHHHHHHHH"

He felt himself fall to the ground, desperately trying to untangle the knife from his belt, and watched as the Botanist leapt at him with a savage look on her face while screaming incoherently. But even as he raised the knife into the air to strike, he found it being batted out of his hands and felt her grab his head and slam it into the ground. Pain blossomed from the point of impact and his vision became fuzzy.

"HELP ME!" he desperately choked out, both pain and fear causing his voice to sound strangled and distorted.

But no one came.

Before he could try again he felt pairs of incisors, canines, and molars rest roughly on his neck.

And then they bit down, with the last thing he was able to see being the woman he had secretly admired pulling back with blood splattered all over his body.

Darkness claimed him a moment later as the Botanist, driven insane by the sickness she had caught, brought her mouth down once again.

"Mayor," the Dockmaster said, his voice tired, "it seems the sun is setting. We should probably head to bed."

The Mayor didn't respond for a few seconds. His limbs felt heavy. But if it was from the sickness or just his own mental fatigue, he didn't know.

"You can go on ahead Dockmaster. Stay with your wife. I don't think there are going to be any more meetings."

The man slowly stood up and began walking to the door, glancing a few times at the Mayor who simply sat on the chair at the front of the table, eyes unfocused in thought.

"Goodbye sir. It was… It was nice working with you."

The man pushed open the door, but froze as he saw what was on the other side.

"Wait, who are-"

And in front of The Mayor, unable to stop it from happening in his weakness and shock, he flew at the wall opposite the door and a loud cracking and squelching noise rang out as the man impacted it. It was clear he had died on impact.

The Mayor, so stunned, couldn't even bring himself to stand up or speak. However his eyes were drawn to the figure that walked inside the room only a moment later.

Long black hair draped down the back of a beautiful woman's head, small trinkets in her hair that he remember buying from a stall during a town festival so many years ago shook soundlessly as she moved forwards. Black almond shaped eyes that he could never forget stared directly into his, and a small dainty nose rested on her face. But he could see the way her eyes lit up as she took in his figure. See the way her expression turned from one of cold apathy, to a warm joy while familiar dimples appeared on her smiling face. And he could see the large pink and yellow tail that she rested on, the Demonic creature slithering into the meeting room with a deadly grace.

But most of all, he could see his old traveling companion. The one he had thought he had lost so many decades ago, her appearance glowing as it was lit up by the setting sun.

"Is that you… Archer? Melissa? I thought..." His voice was shaky, in a mixture of surprise, happiness, fear, and despair.

"It's been so long Blade. Not since Zipangu. I've… I've missed you Arthur." The Otohime had a strange look in her eyes as she spoke. An obsessive one.

She giggled, and he heard the familiar chime of her laugh he had fallen in love with so long ago.  
 _  
"God, I've just missed you so much..."_


	30. Final Chapter

Final Chapter - Black Flag

"How are you here Melissa?" The Mayor asked. She wasn't _supposed_ to be here. As far as he knew, she shouldn't even be alive. How did she even get inside in the first place?

"Arthur, you know me," the Otohime said as it slithered up towards the table and seemed to come to a rest beside him. "I don't give up no matter what happens."

"...I should kill you. I should cut you down right where you stand."

She smirked at that in a way that both enraged him and gave him happy nostalgic feelings from its familiarity.

"Yeah, you probably should. But you can't. The virus is already in your system, and I doubt you'd be able to do half as much as you can now much less take down me."

And despite the words filling him with indignant rage, he knew his former friend spoke the truth. His limbs felt like lead when he tried to flow Spirit Energy through them. He had initially thought that it was just the stress getting to him after the recent events finally caught up to his old body, but it seemed he was wrong on that count.

"So, a virus huh? And how do you know that?" Despite his questioning, a part of his mind already knew.

"I know because I'm the one who spread it in the first place."

"If you're the one who spread it, then does that mean y-"

"Okay," she interrupted, "if this back and forth continues we're gonna be sitting here for hours and we're not going to get anything done. So how about I just talk. And you… You just listen."

Both fell silent, though after a few seconds Melissa turned her body to the side while bringing up her large and deadly looking claws, looking almost like armoured gauntlets more than actual limbs, and reached into a small satchel that was attached to her waist. She slowly pulled out two small glasses and a bottle of… something. The Mayor couldn't tell what it was exactly, and the dark purple body made its colour unclear. But as she uncorked it with a soft pop and poured a small amount into each, he could see that it was completely clear but a strange, almost sour, scent filled the room.

"Curious?"

He nodded slowly. He couldn't do much else.

"It's poison. Tasteless. Painless. Kills in twenty minutes." Despite her words, she said them with a small smile on her face and didn't show any signs of fear. "And before you ask, no it's not a trick. I know what some people think about how monster toxins work, and in most cases they're true, but that doesn't mean I can't adjust the formulas. Just a bit of heating to get rid of some chemicals, removing the solids from the leftovers, and then mixing it with some water, and you get something that'd probably kill a Lilim if they had a whole glass of it. Will kill a Lilim actually."

The Mayor could only listen in shocked silence, though his confusion was understandable. After all, monsters were loyal to the Demon Lord and her children. That's how it had always been. They had _proof_ that that was the case, and had been since… forever really.

"You know," she continued conversationally, sliding one of the two glasses over to him, "I think I realized something on the boat to Zipangu. Before I became a monster."

Looking out of the window while she spoke, it almost seemed like she was speaking more to herself than to him.

"I realized that I loved you. But not just that. I realized that I probably could never live without you. Literally in fact. That if you ever died, I probably wouldn't last very long myself until I just knelt over dead from heartbreak. And God doesn't that sound sappy?"

She raised the glass in her hand as if to toast, but The Mayor had a confused look on his face.

"I'm sorry, did you expect me to drink poison? I may be infected with this virus you're talking about, but I'm not stupid."

She paused at his words and blushed in embarrassment. "Oh, right. The poison. Uh, there's a reason for it."

She stayed silent for a few seconds before continuing.

"Thing is, you're going to die. Like, in a few days. A week or so at the most. You know it, I know it, and we also know that if there was a cure I wouldn't have brought it with me. So that's why I brought this."

The Mayor snorted. "Why would I believe you? For all I know this is just going to corrupt me. Turn me into your mindless slave or even an incubus."

"Ha!" she laughed, "If I wanted to corrupt you I'd just pick you up and bring you out of the range of the Demon Energy barrier. I wouldn't need to do this." She looked at him with a mixture of sadness and… understanding in her eyes. "The poison kills you in about twenty minutes. And… Wait, did I already say that? Eh, whatever. It kills you in twenty minutes painlessly. Doesn't screw up your senses, make you go crazy, or corrupt your body. And for why I'm giving it to you, it's because I know you. I know that if you were ever going to die, you would want it to be on your own terms. So, instead of succumbing to sickness, you can drink it yourself. You know, die with the knowledge that you chose how it would end. Not from an accident, not from fate, but due to your own decisions."

Silence reigned, and The Mayor brought his hand over to the cup to pull it in front him him while staring at the clear liquid intensely.

"And what if, instead of drinking it, I decide not to?" he said calmly. "It's like asking someone to do something with knife at their throat. It's not really a decision at all. So what if I refuse just to spite y-"

As he spoke his eyes landed on the second glass that Melissa held in her hand, and froze in realization.

"Looks like you figured out," she said with a growing grin, "that you won't be the only one to drink it. You have your glass, and I'll have mine. You get to kill one more monster before you go."

However, he still had a skeptical look on his face. "And why should our lives be equal? I'm a human. And you're a _monster._ "

"Because you're not just going to be killing a monster. You're going to be getting revenge for every person on this island. Because I killed them all. Yeah, I can see that you've figured it out. I was the one who had the supply ships destroyed. I was the one who stopped everyone from leaving. I was the one who had the false message from the Order shouted out. And I'm the one who gave you the virus."

"That's…" The Mayor's mind was racing, but there were still things he couldn't figure out. "I can… I can understand how you had the ships destroyed. And the message sent. But this… this virus. That's gotten people to kill each other! How?"

She giggled, finding amusement in his confusion.

"Simple. It's rabies."

The Mayor knew that that wasn't all however. She was either lying, or there was more to it. And seeing these feelings on his face she continued.

"I spent a lot of time in the Great Library. Ah, right, you don't know. It's this giant place where all the recorded knowledge of the previous demon lords is stored. Or at least some of it. You can bring books in, and read all the books there, but they can't be taken out or damaged. One of the very first Demon Lords set the place up. Has some weird special space warping enchantments on it. The books are sorted by both subject and the current reigning Demon Lord, and, well, ever heard of the ninth Demon Lord, Chaeon? Yeah, very few people have. Mostly cause he really didn't do anything big and died only a decade into his reign. But the things he accomplished before then… His power and knowledge wasn't focused around direct combat, but more on things like diseases."

At her last line, The Mayor's eyes widened. The Botanist had-

"He made these special variations and released them into the world where they mingled with other diseases, and it's been so long that basically every virus or bacteria has their special alterations inside of them. One of them was rabies. He only made three changes to it, but they're pretty big ones. The first was simple. He made them tough. Could survive intense heat and acidic environments. Pretty simple, but I'm sure you understand the implications of that alone. I mean, sure, burning the bodies completely might kill the virus, but simply cooking the meat on an infected animal might not be enough. And now even if you do eat it your stomach acids can't destroy it before it enters your intestines and is spread throughout your body."

"But," The Mayor argued, though he couldn't even tell why, "we didn't eat any infected animals. Certainly not enough to-"

"But you ate monsters."

The Mayor's eyes widened as he realized what she had done to her own people.

"Yeah, you figured it out, haven't you? I got my hands on someone who caught variation and, well, harvested them for the virus. Then I infected my underlings. Didn't tell them of course, that would ruin the surprise, but it spread through them. Yeah, the second was really simple too. Now it could affect monsters. I think Chaeon did it because he was hoping it would make his underlings more vicious on the battlefield. Maybe it worked, maybe it didn't. But all I cared about was the fact that every single monster that I allowed to enter the city had it running through them. And even now there are some monsters out in the ocean, slowly going mad."

"They are your people, aren't they?" The Mayor asked. But the dark look that grew on Melissa's face told him it was the wrong question to make.

"They are **not** my people. They were NEVER my people. Every day… Every single day I had to be around them, they just talked about the most inane things. 'Oh, I'm going to find a handsome man and we're going to be married and he'll show his love to me every day and yadda yadda yadda' and they just would never SHUT UP!" The hatred in her expression and voice was palpable. "And the worst thing? The worst thing about them? Those fucking degenerates thought that I hated _you._ That I hated humans! It's like they were blind. They couldn't see that the ones I hated were them. God, they were all so stupid! I bet that even if they had figured it out, they wouldn't ever understand why. Not like her. Not like my friend. And not like you…"

Her stare was becoming intense, and the smile she had on her face… It was twisted. She looked completely insane.

"You understand. You understand the truth about Love. Those little bitches, they thought that all that Love was was sex. That it was give and take, but only in that sense. They… They just didn't seem like they could comprehend the TRUTH!" She was breathing heavily as she spoke.

"Love is more than just the physical pleasure. It's the understanding that the one that you have feelings for is more important than yourself. More important than the world. I remember back when I was human that I heard some people say that you could know you loved someone if you were willing to die for them. But they were wrong. I remember hearing from others that you loved someone if you were willing to _kill_ for them. But they were wrong too! You can know that you love someone when you're willing to do both. In a heartbeat. Know that if they asked you, you would slaughter a city. A nation. The world. Just to please them. To see them smile, even if it meant you would never be able to again." She looked rapturous as she spoke, caught up in her words and emotions.

"But I realized that I didn't just love you," she continued. "I realized that I… I loved myself too. And for a while, I hated it. I hated myself. Hated the fact that others seemed to find love. I was jealous. I… Why couldn't I have it? WHY COULDN'T I HAVE IT? I tried my best. I tried _so hard_ and yet I still loved myself. Narcissism. It's such an innocuous word. But it summed up everything. And just when I was falling into the darkness. When my heart almost broke, when I was falling apart and I had slipped and killed someone out of rage. Rage I hadn't realized I was suppressing so much, we got the escort job. Yes, the one where you lost me. Where I gave myself up."

She paused for a few moments, tears running down her face. At that moment, The Mayor thought she looked beautiful just as much as he wished for her death. He loved Melissa. He loved the woman he had said he had promised to marry. But was… was this really her?

"I don't blame you Arthur. I never did. I blame me. I think at that moment, I _wanted_ to fall. So that I could be free. But the moment that I was captured… I regretted my actions. I hated myself. I was running away. And I don't run away, I never run away, I never ever ever run away. But then I did. So when the Demon Energy started flowing through me, I just told myself how much I loved you. How much I hated the monsters. And how much I hated myself. I chanted these things over and over, never stopping. I told myself these things for months on end. And it was all that kept me sane you know. The only reason why I'm still sane at all. Because it made me see the truth!"

The Mayor's hand fiddled with his drink, before coming to a decision.

"I'm going to drink it now," he interrupted her, before pouring it all down his throat. His old… The Otohime froze for a second in astonishment, before scrambling towards her own drink and quickly swallowing it along with him.

"That… That was rude you know," she had tears in her eyes and wore a small pout. "Could have warned me first. And I was right in the middle of talking. Now… Now I'm not going to die as you do. I'll be a few moments late. I wanted us to die at the same time" Her voice told him that she honestly meant those words.

"Now, what was I saying? Oh, yeah. You almost made me lose track. Right, so, I found the truth. Ugh, you made me lose the momentum I had! Okay. Okay. Yeah. The truth. The Truth. The… The _Truth._ "

"I found the Truth of the world. The Truth of God. The Truth, that God is great. That he is truly my saviour. He did not speak to me, no, but it could only be by his hand that my eyes were opened! I realized, at that moment, that God had meant for me to be transformed. Corrupted. Changed into an inhuman form, because then I could act on my inhuman thoughts. I was going to open the eyes of everyone around me. I was going to show them the truth. The truth that the greatest happiness isn't found through simple Love alone. And that it isn't supposed to last forever. Happiness, true and utter bliss, it can only occur at the end. In a single moment. The moment that you lose everything. The moment that you're betrayed, that what you have is taken away from you, that you find everything you thought was your to be ripped cruelly away in an instant. An instant of complete tragedy. Those feelings of loss. That glimpse I had of it as I was torn away from you and had my body twisted into one inhuman… I wanted nothing more than to feel that again. But I knew that that was the peak. That everything afterwards would feel empty."

She smiled at The Mayor softly and began moving towards him before resting her hand on his.

"So I knew what I was going to do. I was going to die. Die, with the one I loved in my arms. Die knowing that he loved me, and I loved him. That it was all going to end. The self-hatred. The fear. The depression. It was all going to go away. And that in the moment it did I would feel true happiness. A happiness that everyone else in the city has already faced. Relief. Acceptance. Comfort. I would know that despite what had happened, everything was going to be okay. And… I'm sorry, I'm tearing up right now. It's all coming to a close you know. Can you see outside the window? Can you see the city?"

The Mayor's head turned to the window, and he felt a jolt of fear at what he saw.

Mist. A strange green mist was spreading through the city streets. He couldn't see anyone inside of it, due to both the thickness and the fact that most of the citizens were either hiding in their homes or were already dead. But the mist was moving, snaking through streets and alleyways, but even as he watched silently it seemed to grow larger, already rising above the first floor of the houses.

"What… What is this?" The Mayor asked unsteadily. However as he tried to turn his body further he found that his legs felt strange. Numb almost.

"Do you remember the stones that were fired? The strange protrusions? They were vents you know. And for why they are only activated now… Do you feel warm, my love? Do you feel sweaty?"

He did. He could feel the room heat up more than it should be. But he had assumed that it was the monster's presence that just got his blood flowing.

"The Heat Crystals, do you remember them? Oh, of course you do. You'd probably need to be the one asking me that. Well I learned how to use them. How to program them. The whole island is getting warmer, and the warmer it gets the more mist is going to be produced. It disappears over time, and they're not going to last forever, but the heat isn't going to stop. The Heat Crystals… I don't really know how they work. They're from so long ago, and I never read about the specifics in the Great Library. No reason to really. But I know how to set them up correctly. They're going to make this place real hot. Not hot enough to boil water, no, but enough that, well, anything that isn't in the mist is still going to die. The hotter the special stones are, the more mist is produced. And I want this whole fortress to be filled. Filled to the brim, and then enough to spill over."

"W-"

"BECAUSE I DON'T WANT ANYONE TOUCHING YOU! I DON'T…" Tears fell from her face and she tried to hold in her sobs.

"There's magic out there that can bring back the dead. But there are some things that stop it. The mist, it's not just poisonous. It's corrosive too. There's two things floating around in it and… I guess it doesn't really matter. What matters is that I never want any of them touching you. It's why I've been doing what I'm doing. This island? The whole siege? I wanted every single monster who watched what's been happening to know that every attempt to take it failed. That those inside can never leave. That the only thing left in this place is death and misery. I want everyone to think that this island is _cursed._ So they'll stay away. When the first few monsters breath in the mist that's boiled over the top of the walls, they'll understand why. And so they're never going to touch you. They're never going to hurt you."

She smiled at him, taking the hand she was holding in both of hers. "No one is ever going to hurt you as long as I'm here. As long as my love stays strong."

She stopped speaking with that. She seemed content with what she had said, and closed her eyes with her head held low.

However, The Mayor somehow knew that she wasn't finished, and waited until she was ready to continue. He wasn't happy, no, but he knew from what he had said that getting angry, striking her down, doing anything really… It was pointless. The despair in his heart, knowing that everyone had died for nothing, pained him. The Preist who was killed by those he wanted to protect. The Baker who fled the city and left the rest of them to die, his Assistant who was slain by murderers in cold blood. The Doctor, who threw himself off of the walls in hysteria and fear. The Quartermaster who he had to put out of his misery, paralyzed in his own bed. The Dockmaster, whose life had been abruptly ended only a while ago. And the remaining three of his Council members, who he could only guess at the fates of. They were dead by Melissa's- No, the monster's hand. Everything that had happened was her fault. And yet he couldn't muster up the energy to strike her. To make her suffer. Even as he felt his body grow heavy and started to feel tired. He could tell that he was dying, his body shutting down. But like she had said, it was painless.

And, while he was in his confused state, she finally said something which broke him out of his self-induced trance.

"Arthur. My love. I… I know this is selfish of me. That this isn't the time. But I need to ask you something. Do you still care about me? After everything I've done? After everything I've tried to do to protect you? I know that there's not enough time, but could we still get married?"

He looked at her incredulously, not believing what he was hearing.

"Arthur? Please. Do… Do you still love me?" The Otohime's eyes were watering slightly, a faint flame of hope flickering behind them.

The Mayor stayed silent for half a minute, both from the rage and the difficulty he had in speaking. But he finally spoke.

"You… No. I don't love you. I hate you. I hate what you are, I hate what you've done, I hate your looks, your voice, your scent, your ideals, your EVERYTHING. I hate you, monster. I hate you from the depths of my soul."

He felt a savage glee as he looked as her stunned face, watched the embers of hope be stamped out.

"I hate you," he continued, "you disgusting monster. I hate that you've hurt my friends, my people, my city. And I hate that a beast such as yourself had the audacity to take the name of the one I love as if it were her own."

"W-What? No, I-"

"MELISSA IS DEAD! She died decades ago in Zipangu. I don't… Care, if…" he was finding it harder to speak, but he forced himself to continue. "I don't care if you have her face… If you have her voice… If you have… Her memories. Because Melissa was the woman I loved from the bottom of my heart. She was someone I grew up with, who could fire an arrow at a target from a hundred paces away and hit it every time, who watched my back through the desert and who slew an Apophis with two arrows. But… You… Aren't… Her."

He could see the tears that were running down her face. The misery clear. And he felt joy at them. Because even though, in the depths of his heart, he knew that it was the woman he loved, in that moment he could find no greater joy in breaking her heart to in some way avenge the murder of those he was supposed to protect.

He tried to speak once more, his vision already gone black, but found he couldn't. And so, as his mind grew cloudy, he felt a bit of happiness. Felt happiness that in some way he was able to fight back, and knew that the monster's last moments alive were as painful as possible.

And so he died, next to the woman he loved, yet completely alone.

"Arthur?" Melissa asked. But there was no response.

She brought her clawed hand to his neck, but despite her rapid breathing she couldn't find a pulse. And her own breathing began to slow.

She tried to slither closer to him but found that her tail was unresponsive, and so began dragging her whole weight across the floor with rapidly weakening limbs before leaning against the back of his chair, almost a tiny throne really.

And she began to laugh.

"Ha. Hahaha. HAHAHAHA! MY GOD! YES! HAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHA!"

After thirty seconds of laughing, she finally brought herself back under control, and began to speak to her former lover's corpse.

"Arthur. That was… That was beautiful. You made me feel like scum. You tore away everything from me. I… I felt disgusting. And I still feel disgusting. Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you."

She breathed deeply, feeling her arms start to slacken.

"The poison, I guess it takes a bit longer on monsters like me. I think it's the tail. Ha. But you know, I still love you. I'm sorry though. I took away your happy ending. Took away your fairy tale. But I guess it's okay, you know?"

Everything was growing dark, and she could feel her heart slow.

"Everything… This is exactly how I wanted it to be. And… I… Oh. It's hard to speak…"

Despite what was happening, she was happy.

"Good night… My love…"

Her breathing slowed, became more shallow, and finally stopped.

To be rejected by the one she loved in his last breath, to have everything you had worked towards taken away from you, to die next to a cooling corpse completely alone, and to know that your actions have caused the deaths of everyone you had ever loved.

Melissa, the last living being on the island, died with a smile on her face.

And that was it.

The End.

AN: That's the end of White Flag. And for those of you wondering, no, this wasn't a tragedy, or a suspense, or a mystery, or whatever. This was, and was always meant to be, a romance.

Thank you for reading.


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